


m 



mam 



■IHHHI 






|g : 







«*^tf 







| LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. $ 






Shelf 






yflfti UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 





"\J~U/YKfi4 



James Hannington, 

D.D., F.L.S., F.R.G.S. 

FIRST BISHOP OF EASTERN EQUATORIAL AFRICA 



A HISTORY 
OF HIS LIFE AND WORK 

1847— 1885 



y 



E. C DAWSON, M.A., Oxon. 

INCUMBENT OF ST. THOMAS'S CHURCH, EDINBURGH 



M Show me some one person formed according to the principles he professes. Show 
me one who is sick and happy ; in danger and happy ; dying and happy ; exiled 
and happy.""— Epictetus 



a 



As 

AUTHOR'S EDITION 
SECOND AMERICAN FROM THE SIXTH LONDON EDITION 



NEW YORK 
ANSON D. F. RANDOLPH & COMPANY 

38 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET 
I887 









EDWARD 0. JENKINS' SONS, PRINTERS, STEREOTYPERS, ANC ELECTR0TYPER8, 

20 NORTH WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK. 



TO HIS CHILDREN 



THIS RECORD 
OF 

THEIR FATHER'S LIFE AND WORK 

IS 

AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 



PREFACE. 



No apology is surely needed for writing the life of 
James Hannington. If it be true that every life which 
has been lived conveys to the world some message which 
should not be lost, much less can we afford to lose the 
record of a life like his — a devoted life crowned by a 
heroic death. With regard, however, to my own part in 
connection with this work, a word or two of explanation 
may be necessary. 

It seemed to his relatives and friends to be especially 
desirable that his Memoir should be entrusted to one 
who had known him personally and intimately. With- 
out this knowledge, his biographer must have failed in 
presenting him in any recognizable form before the pub- 
lic eye. A mere enumeration of his acts, such as might 
be easily culled from his diaries, letters, and published 
articles, or from printed notices regarding him, would 
convey scarcely any idea at all of the man himself. A 
verbatim record of his sayings would probably produce 
an impression utterly false, except to those who knew 
the speaker and understood the moods in which he ut 
tered them. The materials of which Bishop Hanning 
ton was formed were not run into the mould in which 
ordinary men are shaped. In few things was he just 
like the majority. Almost everything he said or did was 
stamped with the impress of his own distinct individual- 

(v) 



^^ 



vi Preface. 

ity. That individuality his friends now treasure among 
their most precious memories. They can never dissoci- 
ate his words from the tone of the voice which accom- 
panied them, or from the sly twinkle, or it might be, the 
impatient flash of the grey eyes which introduced them. 
They can never think of his acts without recalling the 
active, energetic figure, so full of life and movement, 
which carried through with an inimitable enthusiasm of 
forceful purpose whatever was uppermost in his mind. 
They would not have had one thing about him different; 
but his ways were his own, and his words were his own, 
and nothing would be easier than that a stranger, by 
separating his words and his ways from himself, should 
be perfectly accurate in every statement, and yet repre- 
sent him to the world in a manner which would not only 
be unsatisfactory, but even misleading and unfair to his 
memory. 

When, therefore, his widow requested me to undertake 
the editorship of his Life and Work, I accepted the re- 
sponsibility, trusting that my own intimate knowledge 
of the man might more than compensate for any want 
of skill which I might display in the treatment of my 
subject. Perhaps, also, hoping that my own love for 
him might enable me to make an appreciative study of 
his remarkable character. 

It only remains for me to say that, in the compilation 
of this Memoir, the Bishop's diary has been quoted when- 
ever it has been possible to give the narrative in his own 
words. I have also to offer my warmest thanks to the 
Hon. Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, who 
has placed the whole of the Bishop's official correspond- 
ence with the Society at my disposal ; and especially 
to Mr. Eugene Stock, who has most kindly revised such 
statements as refer to the history of the Society. . Other 



Preface. 



vn 



friends have also contributed letters and personal rem- 
iniscences, for which I am grateful. 

With regard to the illustrations which are scattered 
throughout the volume, they are all, with one or two ex- 
ceptions, reduced from the Bishop's own sketches. Some 
of the pen-and-ink drawings are exact fac-similes ; and 
even the full-page engravings follow his pencil very 
closely. 

The details of the Bishop's death are collated from 
the different accounts given by those who were either 
eye-witnesses, or who repeated what had been told to 
them by those who were present. These accounts slight- 
ly vary, but they do not contradict each other in any 
material point. At the very last moment, when this boo 1 
had already gone to press, the precious little diary, to the 
pages of which the Bishop committed his last writings 
during his imprisonment in Busoga, was most unexpect- 
edly recovered and sent home. The printing of the book 
was at once stopped, and the last sixty pages have been 
rewritten so as to incorporate into them the valuable 
knowledge thus acquired. Space has not permitted me 
to enter the whole journal unabridged, but very full ex- 
tracts have been made from it. I may say, indeed, that 
nothing which could throw any light, either upon the 
Bishop's state of mind, or upon the circumstances of his 
case, has been omitted. 

I now commit this book to the prayers of God's 
people. It has been my endeavor, in the pages which 
follow, to let James Hannington reveal himself as he 
was, in order that those who did not know him in the 
flesh may learn the secret of that nature which laid so 
firm a hold upon the hearts of a large circle of devoted 
friends, and which seldom failed to leave its deep im- 
pression upon all those with whom he was associated. 



iii Preface. 



My own earnest desire is that the example of his noble 
self-denial may stir up others to emulation, and brace 
those who read to follow in his footsteps and to " lay 
aside every weight, and run with patience the race that 
is set before them." 

E. C. D. 

Edinburgh, Nov., 1886. 



1 



CONTENTS. 

PART I. 
CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Parentage and Childhood (1847—60) .... 3 

CHAPTER II. 
School-days (1860—62) . . . . . . .17 

CHAPTER III. 
Business and Pleasure (1862 — 67) 21 

CHAPTER IV. 
Emancipation (1867—68) • . 39 

CHAPTER V. 
Life at Oxford (1868 — 69) 46 

CHAPTER VI. 
Martinhoe (1870 — 73) 68 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Turning - Point. — Ordination. — The Great 

Change (1873—74) 84 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Work at Trentishoe and Darley Abbey (1875) . . 106 

CHAPTER IX. 
St. George's, Hurstpierpoint (1875) . . . .126 

CHAPTER X. 
Home Mission Work and Personal Diary (1875—79) . 144 

(is) 



, 



Contents. 



CHAPTER XL 
Home Mission Work and Personal Diary {continued) PAGE 
(1879—82) 166 

CHAPTER XII. 
The Beckoning Hand (1878— 82) 192 

PART II. 

CHAPTER XIII. 
The First Missionary Journey. — Zanzibar to Mpwa 

pwa (1882) 211 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Mpwapwa to Uyui (1882) 227 

CHAPTER XV. 
Uyui to the Victoria Nyanza (1882) .... 244 

CHAPTER XVI. 
The Lake (1882—83) 263 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Beaten Back (1883) 279 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
The Second Missionary Journey (1883 — 84) . . .303 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Frere Town (1885) 3 21 

CHAPTER XX. 
The Kilima-njaro Expedition.— Visit to Chagga 

(1885. March, April) 343 

CHAPTER XXI. 
"The Work of a Bishop " (1885. April— June) . 373 

CHAPTER XXII. 
The Last Journey (1885. July— October) . . . 39 6 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
How It Came to Pass 43 8 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE. 

Portrait of Bishop Hannington . . . Frontispiece. 
The Curate's House at Martinhoe .... 92 
Pen Sketches of Adventures in Lundy Island . in — 116 
St. George's Chapel, Hurstpierpoint . . . .126 

Inquisitive Natives 232 

Curious Rocks 234 

A Village in Central Africa 246 

An Awkward Situation 254 

Strange Headland, Jordan's Nullah . . . .267 

A Night Alarm 274 

"Village in Urima, where I was detained by the 

Natives" 278 

Near Makola's Village 284 

Pen Sketches of Adventures of Travel in Africa. 

285, 286, 292 — 295 

The Two Taitas from Maungu 352 

klbo and klmawenzi, from taveta .... 358 
Mountain Torrent, Marango, Kilima-njaro . . 366 
Pen Sketches of a Mangrove Swamp and Hornet's 

Nest 307, 388 

A Masai Warrior (El-Moran) 422 

Fac-simile of the Bishop's Sketch of his Prison . 454 
Fac-simile of a Page of the Bishop's Diary . . 460 
Map. 

(xi) 



PART I 



A 



JAMES HANNINGTON. 



CHAPTER I. 

PARENTAGE AND CHILDHOOD. 
(1847—60.) 

" I judge him of a rectified spirit." 

Ben Jonson. 

" Ring in the valiant man and free, 
The larger heart, the kindlier hand ; 
Ring out the darkness of the land, 
Ring in the Christ that is to be." 

In Mejnoriam. 

There were Hanningtons in England in very early 
times. Domesday-Book records their existence. Whether 
my dear old friend, whose too brief life I am now trying 
to set forth, was directly connected with any of these is 
likely to remain forever uncertain. Nor does it greatly 
signify to know. The chief interest of pedigrees to the 
wise is, surely, to trace by their help the transmission of 
certain individual characteristics and the development 
of them. If, therefore, we do not possess a careful 
record of the lives and characters of a man's ancestors, 
we can easily dispense with their mere names. Those 
only are of any real value to us whose persons and 
deeds, manners and words, throw some light upon the 
life of the man in whom we are interested, and offer 
some clue to its unravelment. 

The tot among the ancestors of James Hannington 



James Hannington. 



who steps with any definable form out of the shadows, 
is his great-grandfather. We find the following refer- 
ence to him in his Journal : — " About the middle of the 
eighteenth century my great-grandfather and two broth- 
ers sailed in a boat from Dover, and came into Shore- 
ham River to seek their fortunes ; in those days, doubt- 
less, a very great undertaking. Here my great-grand- 
father married a lady of high family. She was the last 
of the ancient stock of the De Meophams, Saxon no- 
bles in the year 970 A.D., the best known to posterity of 
whom was Simon De Meopham, sometime Archbishop 
of Canterbury, whose tomb may be seen in Canterbury 
Cathedral." 

Of this Q:reat-o-randfather we wish that more had been 
recorded, since he seems to have possessed at least one 
marked characteristic in common with his great-grand- 
son. The diary continues : — " Almost all that I have 
heard of him is that he was a man of superhuman 
strength. On one occasion, passing by where a cart 
was stuck fast in the mud, and six men unable to move 
it, he bade them stand clear, and lifted it out by him- 
self." Like his descendant James, who was always 
eagerly to the fore in any accident, or upon any occasion 
when active assistance was required, he evidently could 
not resist the impulse to step in and bear a hand. 

After his death, which took place early, the great- 
grandmother was left with two sons, Charles and Smith 
Hannington. The elder of these is described as M a man 
of brilliant talents and inventive genius, but who con- 
stantly failed in all his undertakings." In fact, his care- 
less extravagance drained his mother's resources, and 
made it necessary that his younger brother should be 
apprenticed to a trade in Brighton. 

This vouneer brother, the Grandfather of Tames, was 



Grandfather and Grandson. 



of different metal : steady, keen, and industrious to a 
wonderful degree. His grandson writes of him : — " He 
toiled in a most marvellous manner." In after days the 
impression left by the old man upon the younger gen- 
eration, who were often urged to take example by him 
and to walk in his steps, was that of "a shrewd man of 
business, who never wanted a holiday, and never thought 
that other people wanted one. Thoroughly liberal, up- 
right and religious ; no man more so ; a firm and strict 
master, greatly loved, but also greatly feared." In 
which description, in spite of the unlikeness, we cannot 
but recognize the texture of the stock from which the 
subject of this biography was hewn. One trait very re- 
markably characterized both grandfather and grandson, 
— a devoted attachment to the mother. This mother-love 
was a controlling influence of great power in the life of 
James. He can never write of his mother but his pen 
frames some new term of endearment. She is to him 
"the gentlest mother, the sweetest, dearest mother that 
ever lived." If he is in any trouble, " her darling hand " 
has always power to soothe him. 

And it is told of the grandfather that, when quite a 
young man, he had a highly advantageous offer of part- 
nership from the owner of a large business in the North 
of England, but he refused it, tempting as it was, because 
his mother could not accompany him, and he would not 
leave her alone. 

Mr. Smith Hannington married a lady of renowned 
beauty, of which traces remained even in James's time, 
and by her had five children, the eldest of whom, the 
father of James, settled in Brighton and carried on the 
business which had been there commenced. For some 
time he continued to reside in Brighton, in accordance 
with the wise old adage too often neglected in these 



6 James Hannington. [A.D. 1847— 6a 

days, " Prepare thy work without, and afterwards build 
thine house." * There seven children were born, but in 
the year 1847, j ust before the birth of James, ability and 
attention to business having produced their usual result, 
Mr. Charles Smith Hannington purchased the property 
of St. George's, Hurstpierpoint, which henceforth be- 
came the home of the family. 

James Hannington writes: " I was born on the third of 
September, 1847. The only peculiar circumstance con- 
nected with my birth was the fact that my father was in 
Paris at the time. Can this have anything to do with 
my passionate love of travelling? Because none of my 
brothers seem thus affected." 

Hurst, as the inhabitants call it for brevity's sake, is a 
pretty little village in the south of Sussex. On the side 
next to Brighton, from which it is distant some eight 
miles, the horizon is bounded by the wavy line of the 
high downs. Beyond these, hidden behind their wind- 
mill-crowned ramparts, is the sea. On the other side 
lies a wide stretch of fair view — such a view as is pecu- 
liar to the south of England. Pretty undulating country, 
well wooded, here and there the warm red of old brick 
farm-steadings catching the level rays of the setting sun, 
and glowing into crimson on tall chimney-stalk and tiled 
roof ridge ; everywhere free flowing curves topped with 
foliage, melting, in the far distance, into the dim uncer- 
tainty of broken tree-line. 

The mansion of St. George's is pleasantly situated 
near the entrance to the village. It stands within its 
own large garden and grounds. At the back a glass 
door opens upon a flight of wide steps descending to the 
lawn. All around are shrubberies full of deep nooks, 

* Prov. xxiv. 27. 



1 



Mt. i— 13.] A Young Naturalist. 7 

wherein children may hide and play. Not far off are 
two lakelets, among the spreading weeds of which, and 
between the broad lily leaves, myriads of mysterious 
creatures skim and dart, and send up bubbles to the sur- 
face from strange and unknown depths. Then, outside 
the iron railings which bound the lawn, are the fields 
spangled with golden buttercups, and beyond all 
stretches the illimitable country that opens out upon 
the world. A very child's paradise ! 

Here, there, and everywhere, through this pleasance, 
went little baby James, with the keenest of inquiring 
eyes : of that we may be sure. There was no nook in the 
grounds, from the holly bush where the blackbird had 
swung that cunning nest of hers with the four mottled 
eggs in it, to the bank where the humble bee burrled 
out from some hole behind the broad dock leaves, into 
which his paddling, sturdy little feet had not taken him. 
Before long there was no secret of moss or flower or hid- 
den chrysalis, in garden or shrubbery, that had not been 
probed by his busy, eager fingers. He was a born nat- 
uralist. One of the earliest sayings of his, treasured up 
and recorded by his father, is, "I have just seen a big 
bird, which could only be a thrush or an eagle ! " 

To the end of his life he could not resist turning aside 
to see some strange insect, or to note some new plant, 
or examine some interesting geological specimen. Of 
this faculty for observation and interest in that book of 
Nature, the pages of which are opened wide-spread be- 
fore him who has eyes to see, we shall find many traces 
in his letters and journals. "Beetles" and "mosses" 
always bulked largely in his estimate of the desirability 
of any spot in which to spend a holiday. 

His very youthful peccadilloes took their form from 
this early developed love of "specimens." Other boys 



j 



8 James Hannington. [A.D. 1847 — 60. 

might steal sugar or jam when the cupboard was by 
chance left unlocked ; his baby hands itched for the 
wondrous things behind the glass doors of the library 
museum. He says, "No portfolio or cabinet was safe 
from my nasty little fingers." Once it was a rare Baby- 
lonian seal, at another time a trayful of selected miner- 
als, which were abstracted, and with much glee hidden 
away among the miscellaneous articles which formed 
his peculiar treasure. 

This tendency to observe and " collect " was both in- 
herited from and encouraged by that " sweetest, dearest 
mother," who made a companion of her wayward, erratic 
little son, and both fostered and directed his natural love 
of science in many branches. As he grew older, the 
delight of James was to pore over the treasures of his 
ever-increasing cabinets with his mother, and to arrange 
and classify the specimens and relics which they had 
collected, during their travels, from land and sea. 

Taking his education, however, as a whole, we can- 
not feel satisfied that the best plan was adopted in the 
upbringing of the child. There seems to have been 
much liberty, checked by an occasional vigorous appli- 
cation of the birch rod, but little systematic teaching or 
sustained and orderly training. Now, liberty tempered 
by the birch rod can never be a very safe system under 
which to bring up any lad, especially a headstrong and 
passionate boy with a marked individuality like that of 
our little James. We are inclined to think that a little 
less of both in the days of his childhood would have 
saved him the necessity for more than one lesson hard 
to be learned in the days of his manhood. 

He himself blames the old-fashioned severity with 
which any fault, when brought home to him, was pun- 
ished. " I am not quite certain," he says, " that it did 



^t. i— 13.] Moral Courage. 



not destroy my moral courage. I have none, and I think 
that it was from fear that I lost it. To this very day I 
am afraid out of my wits to ask my father for the simplest 
thing ; and yet I know that there is no likelihood of his 
refusing me." He also attributes a certain reserve of 
character and unwillingness to unfold himself to the in- 
spection of others, to the same cause. With regard to 
this self-criticism we may say that he perhaps may have 
been reserved to this extent, that he never found it easy, 
either by letter or in conversation, to convey to anothei 
what he felt most deeply. He was not given to un 
burdening himself, except to his most chosen intimates, 
who were the privileged recipients of his confidences. 
This may have been natural, or it may have been the 
result of his peculiar training. We are inclined to think 
that both may be held, in a measure, responsible for it. 
Lacking in moral courage I do not think he was — cer- 
tainly not to any conspicuous extent: rather the reverse. 
It may have been that moral courage was not natural to 
him. In that case there belongs to him the greater 
honor of acquiring it. 

The man who is naturally gifted with, physical courage 
has no fear of exposing his body to rude assaults. And 
perhaps we may define moral courage as a certain fear- 
lessness in exposing the inner self to possible laceration 
or rebuff, Insensibility to fear is popularly accounted 
bravery; but he, surely, is no less brave, rather more so, 
who, though he vibrates through all his nervous system, 
and shrinks from exposure to pain or violence, yet schools 
himself to encounter them without flinching. And as 
the courage of that general, who, preparing to lead his 
men into the hottest forefront of the battle, thus ad- 
dressed his trembling knees : "Ah ! you would quake 
worse if you only knew where I am going just now to 



10 James Hannington. [A.D. 1847— 6a 

take you," — is justly considered to have been of a higher 
order than the stolid insensibility which carried others 
calmly enough into the jaws of death — so, he who reso- 
lutely masters his moral cow*ardice, and faces his duty 
manfully, must be considered the most truly morally 
brave. If it be true, then, that James Hannington, who 
possessed the attribute of physical courage in so marked 
a degree, was naturally deficient in that moral courage 
which is the more important of the two, we can only say 
that to him belongs the credit of overcoming his natural 
weakness in a very marvellous manner. To those who 
observed him closely, there were not wanting signs that 
it was an effort to him to expose himself — that is, his 
sensitive, inner self — speaking from the heart to the 
heart, as must be done when a man wishes to influence 
another soul. But with whatever severity he may have 
judged himself, to his friends he always appeared as a 
man who might be relied upon to do his duty unflinch- 
ingly ; to speak out what was in his mind, and to abide 
by the issue. He would sometimes class himself with 
such characters as Mr. Feeble-Mind, or Mr. Ready-to- 
Halt ; but to us he appeared rather Mr. Valiant-for- 
Truth, w 7 ith his sword- ever ready to his hand. 

The mixed and broken nature of his early education 
had, at least, this advantage. It set him free to think 
for himself, and possessing as he did unusual powers of 
observation, and naturally disposed to make use of them, 
he gained, while still a lad, a sturdy independence of 
character, and a knowledge of men and things, quite 
beyond those of his own age. 

The first thirteen years of his life, then, were spent at 
home, and in travelling and yachting with his parents. 

Many stories are told of his fearless and excitable 
nature. He was ahvays, with the best intentions, in 



j£t. i— 13.] First Yachting Trip. 11 

some mischief. Always on the verge of a serious acci- 
dent; almost always escaping without much harm done, 
since the perfectly fearless rarely suffer by their own 
rashness. It is recorded how, at the age of seven, he 
clambered unnoticed up the mast of his father's yacht, 
and was at last discovered high aloft, suspended on some 
projection by the seat of his trousers. And many other 
such adventures. He must have kept his mother con- 
stantly upon the tiptoe of nervous expectation as to what 
would happen next. 

He was eleven years of age when he was permitted to 
make his first yachting trip alone with his elder brother, 
Samuel. He says: " My father hired for us a small cutter, 
of about thirty-two tons. A very slow old tub she was, 
and, therefore, named the 'Antelope.' Sam was at this 
time between sixteen and seventeen years old, but very 
manly for his age. Everything on board was of the 
roughest description. We used to wait upon ourselves, 
make our own beds, and do all that sort of thing. Sea 
pies and plum duff were our standing dishes. All this 
mattered little to us ; we were as happy and contented 
as the days were long. The first day, being slightly 
qualmish, I lay on the deck in the sun, and the next 
morning was in the most miserable plight, my whole 
face one mass of blisters, piteous to behold." So, start- 
ing from Brighton, they went round the Isle of Wight, 
past Portland, and as far as the Land's End ; visiting 
Torquay, Dartmouth, Penzance, St. Michael's Mount, 
and almost every place of interest accessible to them. 
The brothers also made an excursion to the famous 
Loggan Rock, hard by the Land's End ; and James tells 
the story of that unfortunate practical joker who paid 
so dearly for his folly — that Lieutenant of a Revenue 
Cutter, who landed a party to throw the great rocking- 



12 James Hannington. [A.D. 1847 — 60, 

stone over the cliff, "to make a grand splash." He only 
succeeded in moving the mass a few inches, but it rocked 
no more. The owner of an inn, to which the balanced 
stone attracted visitors, sued the luckless lieutenant for 
damages, and he was condemned to replace the stone in 
its original position. This he did with partial success, 
but only by special machinery, and at such cost that 
" he was reduced to beggary." James draws a suitable 
moral from this, and concludes: "Alas! I am scarcely 
in a position to preach ; I have been so fond of playing 
practical jokes myself." He continues: "We returned 
in our own time to the Isle of Wight. My father came 
down to Portsmouth and settled with Redman (the cap- 
tain and owner). That very night I was awaked by a 
great disturbance on deck, a crash of bottles, and a sound 
as of fumbling in our wine locker. Ah ! I always told 
Sam, thought I, that our wine went too fast ; there they 
are in the act. Urchin as I was, I don't think that, in 
those days, I knew fear. I struck a light, never went to 
see whether Sam was awake, but marched into the fore- 
castle and looked at the men. They were both sound 
asleep, and a stranger lying on the floor asleep too. I 
then slipped up the forecastle ladder, and should have 
sallied right up to the offending parties, had not Sam 
waked and seen me, and called me back, fearing I might 
get hurt. I had, however, time to see old Redman fear- 
fully tipsy ; a woman with him on deck, and a man in a 
boat holding on by the side. As I did not dare disobey 
Sam, I crept back into bed, and we heard the woman 
say, ' I will have the silver spoon, Uncle Joe ; give us the 
silver spoon.' Here the boatman interposed, saying it 
was past three o'clock, and he would wait no longer ; so 
the female had to go without the spoon, and Redman 
stumbled down to his bin, amid straw and broken bot- 



JEt. i— 13.] 



Loss of his Thumb. 



13 



ties. Next morning, daring young imp, I called him out 
of his berth before I was dressed. However, he did not 
appear until about one o'clock, and tried to look as if 
nothing had happened. Sam did not quite know how 
to introduce the subject ; we were both very young, and 
did not like to rebuke such an elderly sinner. At last I 
went up to him with all the assurance of eleven years, 
and asked him before everybody why his niece wanted 
our silver spoon. He tried to look surprised, and said, 

* I don't understand you, sir ! ' But Sam now found his 
opportunity, and opened up the subject till Redman was, 
I remember, ready to drop on his knees that nothing 
more might be said. We forgave him. We had enjoyed 
the cruise beyond measure, and the little adventure of 

* Uncle Joe' only added spice to it." 

The result of this trip was that young James quite 
made up his mind to "go to scr ." This might, perhaps, 
have been his lot, but the death at sea of an elder brother 
had determined his parents not to allow another son to 
enter the navy. So the country lost a daring seaman, 
but she has gained thereby the priceless legacy of the 
memory of a Christian martyr. 

Another adventure we must chronicle, not merely as 
illustrating the courage of the boy, but as explaining a 
conspicuous physical defect — the absence of the thumb 
upon his left hand. 

He was bent upon taking a wasp's nest, and had just. 
been initiated into the mystery of making damp gun- 
powder squibs, or "blue devils." Full of his new ac- 
quirement, he sought out Joe, the keeper's son, and to- 
gether they got possession of a broken powder-flask. 
" In a few minutes," he says, "blue devils were in a state 
of readiness; but we must needs, before starting, try one 
with touch-paper. The result was not so satisfactory as 



14 James Hannington. [A.D. 1847—60. 

we had expected, and Joe Simmons says I tried to pour 
a little powder on the top of it. The spring of the flask 
was broken, and in an instant a terrific explosion took 
place. The flask was blown to. atoms, and I was to be 
seen skipping about, shaking my hand as if twenty- 
wasps were settling on it. Simmons senior rushed up 
at the report, and binding up my hand in his handker- 
chief, led me off to the house, about a quarter of a mile 
distant, my hand all the while streaming with blood, 
so as to leave a long red streak in the road. When I 
reached the garden I was so faint that Miles, the gar- 
dener, took me up and carried me. The first person I 
met was my mother. She at once saw that something 
was wrong, and, in spite of my saying that I had only 
cut my finger a little, she. sent off for the doctor. I was 
soon under chloroform, and my thumb was amputated. 
It was quite shattered, and only hanging by the skin. I 
was very prostrate from the great loss of blood, but, 
through the mercy of God, I soon got well again. I 
never suffered with the lost thumb, I may say, at all. I 
used to feel the cold in it ; but that also has passed 
away, although even now I cannot bear a blow upon it 
without considerable pain. It is a great wonder that I 
was not taken off by tetanus ! " 

About a year after this, in the summer of i860, James 
went with one of his brothers and their tutor for a tour 
through Wales. One or two extracts from his diary are 
worth quoting, as instancing that keen sense of humor 
which was one of his striking characteristics. Upon the 
top of a coach, near Aberystwith, they encountered a 
certain Unitarian. At him the tutor, a young man read- 
ing for orders, straightway launched himself. The con- 
flict was an unequal one. The stranger turned out to 
be the "father of two senior wranglers, whom he had 



jEt. i— 13.] "An Ancient Dame" 15 

educated himself." The fiery orthodoxy of the tutor, in 
spite of his newly-acquired theological battery, was no 
match for the dogmatism of the father of the wranglers. 
James writes, evidently with gleeful remembrance of the 

scene : " Mr. rushed at him single-handed ; words 

waxed very warm ; the Unitarian's arms flew about like 
the sweeps of a windmill. We were ordered not to listen 
to the profane babbler, but we could not help hearing 
our tutor scream in a very loud voice, ' But you won't 
let me get a word in edgeways.' 'And I dont mean to] 
replied his adversary, in still louder tones. I fear he 
had the fight pretty much his own way, for our tutor 
said that he was a nasty, rude man, and forbade us to 
speak to him again." Do we not see them ? That raw 
young man, with his thin veneering of theological lore, 
and that hot-blooded Welsh mathematician, butting 
against each other in direst conflict ? 

Again, how graphically he tells the story of that abom- 
inable old Welshwoman, "an ancient dame, rheumatic 
and lame," who " was got on top of the coach by means 
of a ladder and ropes, two or three men pushing and 
pulling with all their might "! The driver, an ex-colonel 
in the army, rated at the old dame, and "vowed he 
would not stop the coach for such a time. However, 
they at last got her up, and she sat coughing and groan- 
ing. We soon began to speculate about her descent, 
and it became a matter of conjecture as to how she was 
to be got down. Two or three hours afterwards we ar- 
rived at Harlech, and the horses were changed. While 
this was being done the colonel and other passengers 
darted in to get some refreshment, Old mother was 
cruelly left on the box to take care of herself. Thinking, 
of course, that she was safely housed, the money for her 
fare had not been taken. Not two minutes elapsed — ■ 



i6 James Hannington. [A.D. 1847 — 60. 

in fact the colonel only gave himself time to swallow a 
hasty glass of beer, when he returned to look at his new 
team. Lo ! that ancient dame had jumped down, bas- 
kets, bundles, and all, and had given him the slip. If 
he cursed her in his heart because she took such a long 
time to get up, he cursed her ten times more because 
she took such a short time to get down ! It was the 
joke of the day — even the colonel could not help laugh- 
ing, although he had lost his money." 

Poor little James had now reached the age when 
children begin to be uncomfortably conscious of their 
own personal appearance and deficiencies. Though he 
was in later life singularly free from susceptibility of 
this kind, and never seemed to w 7 ince beneath any most 
pointed personalities that might be thrust at him by 
maliciously-minded friends, there is a touch of boyish 
pain in the following record. An overflow of third-class 
passengers had filled their compartment with a number 
of roisterers, who cursed and swore forth profane vul- 
garities all the way home. "I perfectly well recollect/' 
he writes, " that one of these cursers, much to my annoy- 
ance, noticed that I had lost my thumb, and I was very 
impressed, as he was the first stranger " (brutal fellow !) 
" that had remarked it to me." 



CHAPTER II. 

SCHOOL-DAYS. 
(1860—62.) 

" My bonnie laddie's young, but he's growin' yet." 

Old Scotch Ballad. 

Very shortly after the Welsh tour referred to in the 
last chapter, the tutor left to take a curacy. What was 
to be done with the boys ? James was now thirteen, and 
not very easy for a tutor to manage. Good-natured and 
warm-hearted, but withal quick-tempered, and an in- 
veterate tease : capable of great industry when the sub- 
ject — as that of natural history — interested him ; but 
otherwise seemingly incorrigibly idle, and utterly averse 
to apply himself to the dull routine of the classical mill: 
it was evident to his parents that he and his brother 
Joseph ought to go to school. It was only, however, 
after long thought and some demur that it was finelly 
decided that they should enter the Temple School at 
Brighton. 

" Alas ! " he writes, " it was only a private school, and 
we were allowed to go home every Saturday to stop till 
Monday morning." 

The home-bred boy was at first, naturally enough, 
very unhappy. The memory of the day when he was 
left, pale, nervous, and shivering, in the school-room, 
among his new companions, always clung to him. Do 
not most of us recall sucha moment ? The kindly man- 
ner of the head-master, however, made things easier for 
both the brothers, and they soon fell into their places. 

(17) 



i8 James Hannington. [A.D. 1860—62. 

Hannington criticises with some severity the private 
tutor and private school system, with frequent visits 
home, under which, by a mistaken kindness, he had been 
brought up. He writes in his journal, " I knew abso- 
lutely nothing, the result of private tutorage, and I 
was put into the fourth class, which was bottom but 
one." Again, speaking of the time when he left school, 
he adds : " I only remained at school until I was fifteen 
and a half, and then left for business, with as bad an 
education as possible ; I may say as bad as my father's 
was good. I was no more fit to leave school than to 
fly, and yet I was then in the first class. So much for 
private tutors and private schools. I believe that both 
systems are equally pernicious." All of which I tran- 
scribe without either endorsing the opinion or otherwise, 
except so far as to remind the reader that what is one 
boy's poison may be another boy's food. As regards a 
boy of Hannington's type, it can scarcely be doubted 
that the system he condemns was open to serious objec- 
tions. As he says of himself : " I was naturally idle, 
and would not learn of myself, and I was unfortunate 
enough always to be sent to places where I was not 
driven to learn. Would that I had been driven ! " In 
the later years of his short life, his industry and appli- 
cation were unwearied and immense. No one could ac- 
cuse him of trifling with his time, or of the smallest 
degree of self-indulgence. He was scrupulously pains- 
taking in the execution of any work which he under- 
took, and his undertakings he meted out to himself 
with no scant hand. But no one can doubt that his 
university course, upon which so much of a man's future, 
depends, would have been quite other than it was, per- 
haps even a brilliant one, had he possessed the advan- 
tage of a more thorough and systematic early training. 



^Et. 13 — 15.] Intelligent and Conscientious. 19 

Hannington had plenty of intelligence ; was as sharp 
as a needle ; quick to learn what he chose to learn ; 
and what he once learned he always retained. Volatile 
and excitable as he was, he could be serious enough when 
the occasion seemed to demand it, and in the midst of all 
his extravagances a certain solid good sense generally 
kept him within bounds, so that he never committed any 
act which could cause himself or others serious regret. 
He soon became a prime favorite at school, both with 
the masters and boys. That the former should have 
been the case is more strange than the latter. He soon 
proved himself to be a confirmed " pickle." He thus re- 
ports himself : " I was always very excitable and noisy, 
and was called 'Mad Jim.' In fact, I was one day re- 
ported to the head-master as 'verging on insanity,' and 
was severely punished." He once lit a bonfire in the 
middle of his dormitory ; at another time pelted the 
German master with his rejected papers; and we are not 
much surprised to learn that, on one particularly un- 
lucky day, he was " caned more than a dozen times," 
till, smarting in every inch of his body, he had serious 
thoughts of running away. 

The head-master, however, was most judicious and 
kind. Whatever was lacking in his pupil's education, 
the fault could not be laid upon the threshold of the 
pedagogue. He liked the giddy boy, into whose truly 
lovable nature he saw, and easily secured his affection 
in return. Hannington was sensitively conscientious 
and trustworthy. Hatred of a lie was inborn and in- 
bred in him. He might always be entirely relied upon 
to carry out anything that he had once undertaken, and 
that not only in the letter, but in the spirit. His word 
was, in the most rigid sense, his bond. This fidelity of 
mind was developed in him very early. 



20 James Hannington. [A.D. 1860—62, 

The following instance seems quite a remarkable one 
of a school-boy's endurance for conscience sake. 

Every school has its bully. A certain R. R. filled this 
role during the time Hannington was at the Temple 
School. Being rash enough to attack this boy, Han- 
nington got, what perhaps upon that occasion he richly 
deserved, a tremendous thrashing. Both of his eyes 
were closed up, and sundry egg-like bumps upon his 
head bore witness to the hardness of his adversary's 
fists. That same afternoon he, unluckily, had to go 
home to pay his weekly visit. Horrified at the dreadful 
appearance of her son, his mother made him promise 
that he would never fight again. 

Now, there never was one more absolutely devoid of 
physical fear than James Hannington. Yet, holding 
himself bound by that promise of his, he returned to 
school defenceless. Every one knows what must be the 
fate of a school-boy when once the young imps about 
him have clearly ascertained that he will not fight. He 
was soon made thoroughly wretched. His pusillanimity, 
for such it seemed, was taken advantage of in every way. 
He went about like a muzzled mastiff, submitting to be 
treated by his tormentors like a coward and a cur. 

At last he could stand it no longer. " One day," he 
says, " I had allowed myself to be bullied nearly to death 
by B. P., a boy about my own size, when all of a sudden 
I turned round and said, to the astonishment of the 
whole school, that I would fight him. He was backed 
by his cousin, only son of Baron P. ; I don't think I had 
anybody to back me, but I very soon gave him a thrash- 
ing, and I never recollect being bullied afterwards." He 
always remembered that act as a " broken promise," but 
who can doubt that such a promise was a greater burden 
laid upon a school-boy's shoulders than he could be rea- 
sonably expected to bear ! 



CHAPTER III. 

BUSINESS AND PLEASURE. 
(1862—67.) 

Always roaming with a hungry heart, 
Much have I seen and known." 



Ulysses, 



" One has to spend so many years in learning to be happy." 

George Eliot. 

It too often happens in life that the square man is put 
into the round hole; and not only put there, but rammed 
down into the hole, and worked back and forth in it, un- 
til his angles have somewhat accommodated themselves 
to the misfit. So the wheels of life go round, somehow, 
not without a good deal of friction, and some expostu- 
latory creaking. Happily the subject of this memoir 
proved altogether too polygonal to be fitted, by any most 
careful easing whatever, into the hole which circum- 
stances seemed to have prepared for him. He already 
possessed a moderate competence. The portion of goods 
that belonged, or would belong to him was likely to be 
sufficient for his wants. But the road to fortune lay 
plainly through the counting-house, and his father's 
established and high-class place of business. 

To the counting-house at Brighton, then, he was sent 
at the age of fifteen, and there he remained more or less 
during six years. He was wholly unsuited, by almost 
every characteristic he possessed, for the monotonous 
routine of a commercial life. Generous, impulsive, er- 

(21) 



22 James Hannington. [A.D. 1862. 

ratic, the careful men who managed that great business 
house, had they taken him into partnership, would have 
discovered before long that they had bound a very zebra 
to their cart yoke. " Canst thou bind the unicorn with 
his band in the furrow ? or will he harrow the valleys 
after thee ? " The experiment has often been tried. The 
result has, we venture to say, seldom been satisfactory. 
Happily, in Hannington's case, the "fork" was not too 
persistently applied to that ever-recurring nature of his. 
After six years he was allowed to choose that path for 
which the Divine Hand had fashioned him. 

On looking through the record of these six years they 
seem to have been filled up with almost more pleasur- 
ing than "business." Hannington writes: "As soon as 
I left school I was allowed to go with my late master, 
W. H. Gutteridge, on a trip to Paris. I was intensely 
delighted; so much so that at first I could scarcely real- 
ize it. Once, when a little boy, having caught an un- 
usually fine fish, thinking that I must be asleep and 
dreaming, I pinched myself as hard as I could, and 
repeated the pinch two or three times, to make quite 
certain that I was awake. And now, as I stepped on 
board the steamer at Newhaven, I felt much the same 
inclination to pinch myself, it seemed so impossible 
that I was really on my way to spend six or eight weeks 
abroad. Visions of cardinals shut up in cages, of the 
horrors of revolutions, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, 
the Morgue, magnificent chocolate shops, all these and 
more confusedly floated through my brain." A mar- 
ginal note to the diary, evidently written much later, 
adds what was always a dominant thought with him, 
" My dearest of mothers was pleased too, and I think 
that knowing this gave me such great joy." 

This trip is described in his notes at great length. 



JEt. 15.] His Trip to Paris. 23 

No doubt all the information those notes contain can 
be gathered from a guide-book, but it is not too much 
to say that few guide-books, drawn up by experienced 
and professional travellers, could give much more in- 
formation, or pay minuter attention to details than does 
the diary of this boy of fifteen. There was almost 
nothing in the towns he visited which he did not see, 
and, what is more, which he did not think worth the 
seeing. He was at this time very far from being a mere 
gaping school-boy. If he did not yet see much beneath 
the shell of things, he at least took an intelligent inter- 
est in everything. He congratulates himself upon hav- 
ing had such an excellent travelling companion as Mr. 
Gutteridge; but we might also congratulate Mr. Gut- 
teridge himself upon the companionship of that uncon- 
ventionally fresh young mind. 

They went to a boarding-house kept by a certain 
Madame Boys, from whence he writes to his mother: 

"Dearest Mamma, — You will be very glad to hear 
that we had a capital passage. We played chess on 
board the steamer all the time: neither of us sick. We 
went to church Christmas morning at the Ambassador's 
Chapel, and to the Madeleine in the afternoon. We 
had a very grand dinner party in the evening. Madame 
Boys is a kind, good-natured, vulgar, blowing-up-ser- 
vants little woman — all very desirable points to make 
me happy. I mean to bring you home six snails with 
rich plum pudding stuffing in them. With my very best 
love to all, especially papa, 

"Your affectionate son, James Hannington." 

The Archbishop of Paris was just at this time at the 
point of death. The following thoroughly boyish re- 
mark occurs in one of James's letters home: "I am 



24 James Hannington. [A.D. 1863. 

rather glad that the Archbishop is dead; we are going 
to see him lying in state." Which they accordingly did, 
and his funeral afterwards. They missed nothing, these 
two. 

A short six months were now spent in the house of 
business, and then another trip abroad with Mr. Gut- 
teridge was planned and carried out. 

This time they went to Brussels, Antwerp, Luxem- 
bourg, Treves, and many other places, about all of 
which Hannington has much to say. Nothing escaped 
his observant eyes, and everything was carefully noted 
in his pocket-book. At Wiesbaden he notes (the gaming 
tables were then in full swing) : " Those who seemed to 
be regular professional gamblers were the ugliest set of 
people that I ever saw in my life. A gambling table is 
a curious sight. I recollected those awfully eager and 
ugly faces for many a long day." 

From Wiesbaden and Frankfort the travellers made 
their way to Baden Baden, " nestling in the heart of the 
Black Forest like a beautiful but deadly snake on a 
bank of purple violets." 

Then on to Lucerne, whose fairy-like charms seem to 
have inspired the following not unmusical verse: 

" Oh ! for a painter's brush, or poet's pen, 
That I might now pourtray {sic) 
The glories I saw then. 
The silver moon, the cloudless starlit sky, 
The deep, the rippling lake ; 
Grim Pilate standing by, 

Hoar-white his rugged peak with glistening snow, 
Like some fierce lion's fang, 
Unbared to meet the foe." 

From the Wengern Alp James saw his first avalanche, 
with which, having, like most travellers, formed mar- 



JEt. 1 6.] A Notable Day. 25 

vellous conceptions of falling mountains, he was at first 
rather disappointed. He saw the great Rhone Glacier, 
not then shrunk to its present lesser proportions. From 
thence the two crossed over the St. Gothard Pass into 
Italy, saw the Lakes and Milan, and penetrated as far 
as Venice. Returning across the Simplon, they visited 
Chamounix, and made a glacier excursion as far as the 
" Jardin," an excursion no less fascinating because so 
often "done." Thence home by Geneva and Paris. 
The whole trip of two months (June and July of 1863) 
was evidently not wasted upon the boy, but was a real 
factor in his education. 

The First of September that followed was a notable 
day in the lad's diary. He was allowed to take out a 
game-license for the first time, and shot his first bird. 
The occurrence was, moreover, impressed upon his mem* 
ory by the explosion of a cartridge in the opened 
breech of his gun, whereby his face was severely cut and 
burnt, and for some little time he was quite blinded. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hannington had now taken toa) acht- 
ing life, and spent much of their time on board. James, 
who was devoted to the sea and its adventures, was 
frequently passing backwards and forwards between 
Portsmouth, where the yacht often lay, and Brighton. 

"Sunday, Nov. 1st, 1863. — Caught in a tremendous 
squall returning from church at Portsmouth. Never 
was there such a churchgoer as my mother. She simply 
would go if it was possible. I wonder that we never 
capsized during those rough-weather journeys." 

The next entry in his diary records his commission as 
second lieutenant in the 1st Sussex Artillery Volun- 
teers. 

"March zZth, 1864. — My first day in uniform." 



26 James Hannington. [A.D. 1864. 

"June nth. — Rapid progress in soldiering. Battalion 
inspected, and I had command of my company." 

Hannington made an excellent artillery officer. He 
was a great favorite with the men, from whom, how- 
ever, he exacted implicit obedience. He early displayed 
considerable organizing power, and always gave that 
attention to seemingly trifling details which goes so far 
to ensure the success of any undertaking. 

July and the first week of August of this year were 
spent on board the yacht Zelia, and in a continental tour 
with his parents through part of France, Germany, and 
Switzerland. His taste for travel was as keen as ever; 
and everything was noted in the never-absent pocket- 
book for future reference. 

"Aug. nth. — My father gave me a single-barrel breech- 
loader gun; 17 guineas. My delight is great." 

" Sept. 3rd. — My seventeenth birthday. Shot eighteen 
brace of birds, four hares, one landrail. 5 feet 10 inches 
high, weight 11 stone 6 lb. Sam gave me a garnet ring; 
Phil a gold locket." 

In October of the same ) r ear he was with his parents 
on another yachting excursion. They visited the island 
of Alderney, and, in spite of very rough weather, man- 
aged to enjoy themselves. James writes while they were 
still off Portsmouth : 

" Saturday, the 22nd. — Weather looks worse, though 
sea rather smoother. Landed in boat, and, returning, 
got caught in a terrific squall, and had great difficulty 
in reaching the yacht. Found mother and the crew 
greatly frightened for us ; the former in tears. We 
were an hour behind our time." 

" Sunday, the 2yd. — It blew furiously. No landing for 
church. Which means that "it did blow." 



JEt. 1 8.] Religiously-minded. 27 

Coming home across the choppy waters of the Channel 
they were nearly cut down by the West Indian Packet 
just as they entered the Needles. "We had watched 
her approaching for more than an hour, and as we were 
beating up on the right tack, and every foot was of im- 
portance to us, the captain trusted to her giving way, 
but she evidently expected us to do the same, and kept 
on. The huge monster dashed by within a few feet of 
us. The men shouted, and my father as coolly as pos- 
sible fired a blue light, and we were saved." 

The following entry appears in the diary for Decem- 
ber 30th : — " Father went on deck with five sovereigns 
in one hand and the paper in which they had been wrap- 
ped in the other. He threw the sovereigns overboard 
and kept the paper. He was much vexed." 

The verses which conclude his diary for 1864 show 
that, though he might not at that time have had any real 
and vital religion, yet that he was religiously-minded, 
and not disinclined to think seriously. They are worth 
quoting : 

"My heart, Lord, may I ever raise 
To Thee in humble thanks and praise 
For keeping me throughout this year. 
Lord, guard and guide me while I'm here, 
And when to die my time has come, 
Oh ! take me to Thy heavenly home." 

A further proof that his mind was beginning to bestir 
itself, and his spirit to grope after something reliable 
upon which it might lay hold, is to be found in the re- 
markable entry made against March 6, 1865. "Left off 
mourning for Cardinal Wiseman." He adds a little 
later : " The fact is that about this time I nearly turned 
Roman Catholic ; but my faith was much shaken by 
reading Cardinal Manning's funeral sermon for the above. 



28 James Hannington. [A.D. 1865. 

Also by his own last words, 'Let me have all the Church 
can do for me.' I seemed to see at once that if the 
highest ecclesiastic stood thus in need of external rites 
on his death-bed, the system must be rotten, and I shortly 
after gave up all idea of departing from our Protestant 
faith." 

Only once again did he ever experience any leaning 
toward the Roman Church, when for a single moment 
he thought that he recognized in the quiet seclusion of 
a certain cloister the soil suitable for the growth of the 
spiritual life, then working still more restlessly within 
him. But, in sooth, James Hannington would never 
have made a "good" Catholic of the Roman type, much 
less a monk who would have been tolerated for a sin- 
gle day by any "Superior." He was never wont to 
"think by the bonnet,"* and his sturdy independence 
of reasoning, and sound, masculine common-sense, would 
have soon burst through the cramping enswathements 
of the Roman system, or procured him a speedy and em- 
phatic eviction out of that fold. All this time scarcely 
a single entry in the diary refers to the " business." 
Almost all his time seems to have been spent on board 
the yacht. Evidently James was far more keen to culti- 
vate "horny hands and weather-beaten haffets"f in 
many a conflict with the salt-laden winds and blue rac- 
ing waves of the open Channel, than a bold commercial 
style of penmanship, and an automatic accuracy in tot- 
ting up figures. He says with some pride : "I can now 
sail a boat uncommonly well. To-day I proposed going 
across to France in the wheny, and got well scolded for 
the suggestion." 



*"He thinks by the bonnet, like a monk in Sorbonne." 

t Cheeks. Pascal {Old French Proverb) 



JEt. 1 8.] The Sea has Charms for him. 29 

In April of this year (1865) he paid a fortnight's visit 
to a friend at Virginia Water, Capt. Welsh, "Admiral 
of the Queen's Rowing-boats." 

"April Zth. — After dinner a croquet party. Prince 
Alfred came in in the middle of it. Saw the Queen." 

"April iot/1. — Another croquet party, which was sud- 
denly interrupted by the arrival of the Queen. We had 
to scamper off indoors; but from my bed-room window 
I could hear the Queen laughing and chatting in a most 
merry way to Captain Welsh." 

" April 17//Z. — Rode with Vernon. Called on the Mills. 
Coming back, was playing the penny whistle, when sud- 
denly met the Queen. I wonder what she thought of 
my performance ! " 

The month of June was spent on board the Zelia. A 
family party was made up for a trip by sea to the west 
coast of Scotland; and then once more the serious busi- 
ness of life began, and James turned his unwilling feet 
to the unwelcome warehouse. He says: "I left the dear 
yacht and returned to Brighton. I hoped to do well; 
but, alas! it was not from the bottom of my heart. I 
never could like the business." His head was full of the 
sunny western sea ; and great green Atlantic rollers 
breaking over the half-hidden fangs of treacherous 
reefs ; and the sloping deck of the yacht under pressure 
of sail, cutting her way through the seething water ; 
and rocky islands, purple against naming skies ; and 
everything but the adding up of those never-ending 
columns of figures, and the acquirement of knowledge 
of the texture of merchantable fabrics in that terri- 
ble warehouse. Had a business career been seriously 
planned for him, he would, perhaps, have been kept 
more rigorously to the grindstone; but no doubt his 



30 James Hannington. [A.D. 1865, 

parents were at this time willing to allow him to dis- 
cover for himself, by actual experience of life, in what 
direction his natural bent tended. He had, according^, 
far more liberty than is granted to most boys at the age 
of eighteen, who are not intended for a life of idle- 
ness. 

It is very noticeable that, under this treatment, Han- 
nington never displayed the least tendency to pass his 
time in lounging about, frequenting the clubs, or in any 
way leading a fast life. His time was never unoccu- 
pied — never hung heavy on his hands. He was never 
one of those who affect to be superior to the occupations 
and amusements of every-day life — who yawn, and find 
nothing to interest them in the world. He always had 
something to do — always something in hand; and what 
he did undertake he carried through with a heartiness 
and delighted enthusiasm which never failed to infect 
others and stir them up to co-operate. It was this fac- 
ulty which made him the very life and centre of any 
circle of society into which he was introduced. His 
friends often found themselves, under his influence, 
working might and main for the achievement of some 
object in which none of them had taken the slightest 
previous interest, but which Hannington had made the 
all-important object of the hour. 

About this time he threw himself heart and soul into 
the work of his battery. He passed his examination for 
promotion, and about the end of the year received his 
commission as captain. His delight was boundless 
when, at the Artillery Volunteer Camp at Shoebu^ness, 
the Brighton men won both the Palmerston Prize of 4c 
guineas and the Queen's Prize of 100 guineas. His own 
detachment behaved itself very creditably, and showed 
signs of careful drilling. I find this entry after the re- 



;Et. 1 8.] At the Grand Review. 3 1 

turn from the camp : " I presented a gold pin to Bomb. 
C. for good shooting." At this time, also, he began to 
show signs of that interest in the welfare of young men 
which in after years was so marked a feature of his min- 
istry. He took a great deal of trouble in procuring for 
them suitable recreation rooms, and personally inspect- 
ed, tested, and bought the various articles necessary for 
their equipment. He organized concerts, readings, and 
games, and made himself a prime favorite with the men 
under his charge. 

Hannington was always fond of telling a good story 
against himself. Here is one : On Easter Monday, 
1866, at the Grand Review, the Prince and Princess of 
Wales being present, he was appointed major to the 
battalion. Right proudly he jingled along upon his 
gaily-caparisoned charger. Scarcely, however, had they 
started, when that horse, unmindful of his own dignity 
or that of his master, took the bit between his teeth and 
bolted. Away flew James in full view of the admiring 
Prince and Royal party. First his horse made for a gap 
which led over the cliff ; from thence, being hardly turn- 
ed by the waving arms of some fisherfolk, he dashed 
down the pavement and ran full tilt into a cart; grazing 
this, he was nearly knocked from the saddle by violent 
contact with a cab-horse; and next, still sticking bravely 
on, he charged home into a mounted officer. At last, 
not without effort, this mad career was checked, and the 
major rode back to his post, girth broken and accoutre- 
ments all awry, amid the ironical cheering of the de- 
lighted crowd. So he tells us. But if he appeared, 
through his charger's misdemeanor, in a ridiculous light 
that day. he at all events seems to have enjoyed the oc- 
currence as much as any of the onlookers. 

The same spring, the Hanningtons made up a family 



32 James Hannington. [A.D. 1866 

party for a long yachting trip to the Mediterranean. 
James's diary has the following : 

"May gt/i. — Left Brighton with Sam and Jos, and 
found father and mother at Lymington, busy putting a 
few finishing touches. Among other things that they 
have added to one of the best fitted and most comfort- 
able yachts afloat, is a steam-launch. Scarcely another 
yacht has one." 

This, of course, was in 1866. They landed first at 
Belem, on the Tagus, and saw all that was to be seen. 
" Got permission and went over the Castle, which is ex- 
ceedingly picturesque, and built of marble. They are 
much behindhand in gunnery — only some old 12-pound- 
ers on wooden carriages, painted red. The sentry sits 
about and smokes in the most casual manner. I got 
into conversation with the guard, and showed them the 
manual and platoon. One spied my thumb, and at once 
affirmed for me that I had lost it in war." 

Gibraltar, Algiers, and many places are described with 
much patient minuteness. At the latter place he bought 
a young jackal, which was brought home with him as a 
pet. On this cruise his botanical notes begin to multi- 
ply; and he evidently used the microscope systematical- 
ly, and to good purpose. From Naples, James and his 
brothers ascended Vesuvius, and disported themselves 
in the crater, which was then in a slight state of erup- 
tion. At Civita Vecchia they went on board the Pope's 
yacht, The Immaculate Conception, " handsome outside, but 
very dirty in." The officer in command paid a return 
visit to the Zelia, and was much astonished at the com- 
pleteness and sumptuous arrangemerts of the English 
vessel. 

After some days spent in Rome, they directed theii 






JEt. 19.] In the Queen's Yacht. 33 

course to Genoa. James writes : " The war has broken 
out, and the town is in great excitement. The citizens 
aie garrisoning the place, but present anything but a 
military appearance. The Garibaldians seem, to the 
visual eye, an awful crew." 

But we need not enter into the details of this trip. 
The boy of nineteen chronicles all he saw, as though it 
had never been seen before, and never might be again 
by eye of mortal. He is still very boyish, pleased to be 
courted and admired by foreigners as " one of the lords 
from the English yacht." He still has a great deal to 
learn, but he is evidently teachable, and by the grace of 
God he will learn his lesson. 

On the last day of August, Hannington was again in 
Brighton ; and the next day, being the first of September, 
we find him, indefatigable and keen, carrying his single- 
barrel breech-loader over the turnips and stubbles. He 
writes : " Sam and I killed between us 25^ brace of birds." 

"Nov. 3rd. — Riding over from Brighton to shoot, my 
horse fell, and rolled over with me on my leg. I never 
said anything about it, lest I should be forbidden to 
strain the leg by going out shooting. Killed eighteen 
brace of pheasants." 

"Nov. gt/i. — Went to Mayor's banquet, and delivered 
my maiden public speech, by returning thanks for the 
ladies ; received great eclat." 

" 1867, Jan. Wi. — Breakfast and meet at Sir J. Simeon's. 
In at death." 

" gth. — Went across in Royal yacht Alberta to South- 
ampton, and returned with Sir Stafford Northcote." 

"nth. — Crossed again with Sir Stafford; inspected 
the docks. Treated with fearful civility, the effect of 
travelling in the Queen's yacht. Returned in the even- 
ing with General Gray." 
2* 



34 James Hannington. [A.D. 1867, 

" 14///. — Left Cowes in the Alberta with Lady Caroline 
Barrington, and returned to Hurstpierpomt." 

And now follows a very singular entry. I quote it 
with some hesitation, as liable by the unthinking to be 
misunderstood. Those, however, who have had some 
experience in tracing the strange and complex move- 
ments of the human soul, and who have noted' how, side 
by side, are to be found there the workings of the trivial 
and the tremendous, will know how to read this passage. 
It runs thus : 

" Feb. gth. — I lost my ring out shooting, with scarcely 
a hope of ever seeing it again. I offered to give the 
keeper 10s. if he found it, and was led to ask God that 
the ring might be found, and be to me a sure sign of 
salvation. From that moment the ring seemed on my 
finger ; I was not surprised to receive it from Savers on 
Monday evening. He had picked it up in the long grass 
in cover, a most unlikely place ever to find it. A miracle ! 
Jesus, by Thee alone can we obtain remission of our sins." 
He adds, in a note written several years afterwards : 
" This is a quotation from my diary, written at the most 
worldly period of my existence." It was written, remem- 
ber, for the inspection of no eye but his own, and, there- 
fore, expressed, without doubt, the unfeigned conviction 
of the moment. As we have seen before, he was, in spite 
of his volatile exterior, by no means devoid of religious 
thoughtfulness. If he had not, as yet, any intelligent 
apprehension of his true relationship to God, he never 
wholly neglected the externals of religion. He had al- 
ways " a secret apprehension " that there was a better 
way. Keenly as he enjoyed his surroundings — and no 
man ever entered with more zest into the pursuit of the 
moment — he was never wholly satisfied with a life apart 
from God. It is deeply interesting to notice in this 



JEt. 19.] A Cruise in the Baltic. 35 

strange, unreasoning appeal to the Unseen by the care- 
less younker in his momentary vexation over the loss of 
a trinket, the early traces of that assured and reasonable, 
though childlike, trust in God which so distinguished 
him in later life, and marked him pre-eminently above 
his fellows as a man of faith. 

He next mentions that he was " carrying on an inter- 
esting correspondence with Frank Buckland about a 
surface net when yachting." I believe that he never be- 
came personally acquainted with the eminent practical 
naturalist. Had they met, they would have found in. 
each other congenial spirits. 

After a short trip to Paris in the spring, James Han 
nington and his brothers started for a cruise in the 
Baltic, and a visit to some of the cities of Russia. The 
following entry in his diary marks the event : 

" June 4th f 1867. — Yacht Zelia, 195 tons. Underway 
9 a. m. Abreast Brighton, 3.40. Off Beachy Head, 5.15." 

Christiania, Copenhagen, Stockholm, etc., were all in- 
spected with intelligent eyes. While at the latter place, 
he wrote: "The King, when we went over the palace, 
had just left a cabinet council, and during the discus- 
sion had sketched a tree and a face on a sheet of paper. 
The guide's contempt when I asked for this was su- 
preme. If he was a fair example, Stockholmers are not 
overweeningly proud of their monarch." 

They then spent a week in St. Petersburg and Mos- 
cow, keenly entering into the delights of everything 
that was going in the way of entertainment, and 
toward the end of July set their faces again homeward. 
An incident which throws light upon Hannington's 
character occurred on the return voyage. The elder 
brother, who was in command of the expedition, having 



36 James Hannington. [A.D. 1867. 

been recalled home by domestic affairs which required 
his presence, the leadership fell to James. He at once 
took the reins, and held them with no uncertain hand. 
He writes: " The men have of late been very disorderly, 
and getting worse, so, on my assuming command, I in- 
stantly gave them my mind on the subject, and told 
them that in future any man breaking leave would be 
discharged. The first to do so, as it happened, was the 
captain, who remained ashore, and, by his own confes- 
sion, helplessly drunk." The captain had no doubt that 
he would be able to make it all right with the young 
commander. But he reckoned without his host. Dis- 
cipline was at stake. Hannington felt that now or never 
was the time to assert his authority, and in such cir- 
cumstances he was not accustomed to hesitate for a 
moment. To the astonishment of the whole crew, and 
not less so of the culprit himself, the captain was there 
and then sent ashore with all his belongings. After this 
dreadful example the crew gave no more trouble. They 
recognized the fact that they had one at the head of 
affairs who might be expected to execute what he 
threatened, and, after the manner of sailors, they liked 
him none the worse for it. He was fortunate enough 
not to suffer himself on account of this prompt act of 
justice. He writes: "I met Captain Van Deurs, a very 
gentlemanly man, and well recommended, whom I en- 
gaged, and an immense success he turned out." The 
next day they stopped a fishing smack off the coast 
of Denmark to buy some cod. The fishermen asked 
whether the yacht belonged to the King of England. 
" ' No, there is no King ; England is ruled by a Queen.' 
'Then it must belong to the Prince of Wales. That' 
pointing to me, ' is the Prince of Wales.' No answer on 
Van Deurs' part confirmed them in their idea, and left 



z£t. 19.] Not jLued for a "Business" Career. 37 

them full of joy to return to their native v.'Vage and 
pass the rest of their lives as the men who had seen 
and talked with the Prince who had married their own 
popular Princess ! " 

"J u ty 2 6/7*. — Fell in with a tremendous gale, which 
came suddenly upon us with a rising glass. All sails 
were set at the time, and I was alone on deck, the men 
being at tea. I rushed forward and shouted, ' All hands 
shorten sail ! ' and in half an hour's time we were laid 
to with the water washing over us most uncomfortably. 
Carried away our jibboom while pitching into a sea; it 
w r as a splendid stick too. Three men were washed over- 
board by a huge wave while clearing the wreckage; but 
the next wave flung them back on to the deck. After 
laying to for sixteen hours, and drifting about help- 
lessly, scarce knowing how matters would end, there 
was a slight lull. I ordered the jib to be set, but it was 
blown to ribbons; so we waited a little longer, and then 
set the storm jib and were able to continue. For two 
days w r e were without the sun, but the captain made 
*he land by our soundings. The soundings w~ere very 
'nteresting. The lard at the bottom of the lead brought 
-*>p light silver-like sand off the Danish coast, which 
gradually grew darker, until almost black off the coast 
of England." 

With this trip we may bring Chapter III. to an end. 
It marks the conclusion of a period in his life. As his 
character was formed and his disposition became more 
marked, his nature asserted itself more and more defi- 
nitely against a "business " career. Of whatever else 
in life's arena he might be capable, in that at least he 
felt that he could never excel. His heart was not in it. 
Surely something else might be found for him — some 



38 James Hannington. [A.D. 1867. 

other vocation — a real vocation to which his heart might 
respond, as to that for which he was created and brought 
into this world; not a mere line, grooved out for him by 
the industry of his forefathers. 

But how the emancipation took place must be re- 
served for another chapter. 



CHAPTER IV. 

EMANCIPATION. 
(1867—68.) 

" He was never a Sceptick in his Principles, but still retained a 
secret Apprehension that Religion . . . was founded in Truth, and 
this Conviction .... could not but occasion some secret Misgiv- 
ings of Heart." 

Doddridge {Life of Colonel Gardiner). 

One thing, and one thing only, had, for some time 
past, prevented Hannington from shaking himself free 
from the harness which galled him, and in which he felt 
that he could not hope to run life's course with any 
prospect of credit or success. Both his training and 
temperament made him unwilling to run counter to the 
wishes of his father, and he could not bear the thought 
of inflicting the slightest pain, or even of causing the 
shadow of disappointment to fall upon the mother whom 
he adored. About this time, however, he made a tenta- 
tive effort at freedom. He wrote to his father with re- 
gard to the general impression of his friends as to his 
unfitness for a commercial life, saying, " I know that I 
am laughed at, and looked upon as fit for nothing but 
collecting curiosities." In fine, he desired that some- 
thing else more congenial to him might be found, upon 
which he might exercise his superabundant energies. 
He says in his diary: " Sam proposed that I should take 
to farming ; and there was nothing I thought I should 
like better. But my father, who had had a taste of 
farming himself when young, would not hear of it. My 

(39) 



40 James Hannington. [A.D. 1867. 

mother wrote, saying: ' Your letter was kindly and sens- 
ibly expressed, but it brought floods of tears to my 
eyes. The bare thought of my sweet boy going where 
his father and mother could not see him from time to 
time distracts me; father, too, said he could not bear it.' 
Seeing that my mother took it so tremendously to heart, 
I was ashamed that I ever suggested giving up my work; 
and so for the time I gave up all thought of leaving 
home, and endeavored to settle down once more quietly 
and contentedly. My mother's and father's love devoted 
my heart to them. I felt that I had sinned grievously 
in even suggesting what might give them pain." 

The matter, however, was not to rest here. " There 
is a Divinity that shapes our ends," and Hannington 
was not to be shaped by any parental wishes — dutiful 
resolutions on his own part notwithstanding — into the 
ordinary type of a British merchant citizen. 

The first blow struck upon his shackles was, after all, 
dealt by the hand of his father. It happened in this 
wise. The family had been hitherto, at least nominally, 
Independents. Mr. Hannington had built a chapel in 
the grounds of St. George's, in which Nonconformist 
services were held. Finding, however, after a wide ex- 
perience of men and things, that they had no serious 
quarrel with the Church of England, he and his family 
decided that they would seek admittance into her com- 
munion. At the end, therefore, of 1867, St. George's 
Chapel was licensed for public worship by the Bishop 
of Chichester, and the charge of it became a curacy — 
virtually a sole charge — under the Rector of Hurstpier- 
point. James writes: 

"Sunday, Oct. 26th. — The last Sunday of the dissenting 
ministers in St. George's Chapel. Mr. Hart preached 



^Et. 20.] Joins the Church. 41 

the farewell sermon with a good deal of true emotion. 
He and his wife were pensioned by my father, the pen- 
sion to continue for the last survivor's life. Little did I 
think that I was ever to occupy that pulpit. Perhaps 
the old man prayed for me." 

"Dec. 14th. — Opening service at St. George's. Mr. 
Methuen, the rector, preached a splendid and most suit- 
able sermon ; ' spoke very kindly of my father. Preached 
also in the afternoon to a crowded congregation." 

The consequence of this important step on the part of 
his father was that Hannington was brought much into 
contact with Churchmen of whom he had known little 
previously. He says : " This year (1868) was most event- 
ful to me. Through the change from dissent to the 
Church I got to know the clergy of the parish church 
and college. I yearned for ordination. My mother had 
once or twice spoken about it, and felt my mind on the 
subject, so I knew that she would offer no objections." 
After some self-examination, however, he was led to con- 
clude that his increasing dissatisfaction with, and loath- 
ing for, the business at Brighton had more to do with 
his desire for Orders than any other motive. " I had it 
fixed upon my mind that I was to be ordained," he says, 
"but as for real motives I had none, or next to none. I 
was, I fear, a mere formalist, and nothing more." 

However that may have been, there are not wanting 
indications in his diary that he was thinking seriously 
at times. His was far too honest a nature to permit him 
to take any step which did not secure the hearty concur- 
rence of his will and intellect. He could never have be- 
come a "mere formalist." He had too much humanity 
about him, and too much enthusiasm within him to have 
permitted that. A mere secular organizer he might 



42 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868. 

have perhaps become ; enforcing zealously, and by the 
power of his own personality, dogmas which lacked the 
power of the Spirit of God to commend them. But from 
this, too, he was saved, as will appear in the course of 
our narrative. 

To outward appearance he was still as gay, thought- 
less, and reckless as ever. Delighting to startle his 
friends by some extraordinary feat of personal courage 
or endurance, by eccentric acts which could only ema- 
nate from "Jim," it was not easy to associate with this 
madcap the serious business of life. But the following 
entry w T ill show that in his heart he was neither a care- 
less nor indifferent spectator of the mystery of life, or or 
the set of the world-tide toward Eternity. 

"About this time," he writes many years later, "John 
Thurston * came to stay with us ; very ill ; he lingered 
a long time ; when he was told that his case was hope- 
less, he not only seemed resigned, but, as far as one 
could tell, just touching the hem of the Saviour's gar- 
ment. He died on June 6th, 1868, and was buried in 
Hurst churchyard, in our family vault. I was in Brigh- 
ton the night he died, and at the exact time of his death 
I had one of those peculiar warnings — an internal thrill 
— which told me certainly that he was gone. My diary 
reads thus : 

"June 6th. — John worse ; about one p.m. he took his 
leave of me. About four, at his own express desire, he 
received the Sacrament from Mr. Methuen, surrounded 
by us all. I was obliged to go to Brighton at five. As 
I was sitting at supper I had a heavy palpitation of the 
heart. Something said to me, 'John is dead! ' I took 
out my watch frightened. The hour was ten p.m. 

* A cousin. 



/Et. 20.] First Communion. 43 

" 71/1, Sunday. — Got up at 4.30 a.m. ; walked down to 
see John, if not gone, though I was sure he was dead. 
Went straight to the doctor's room. Heard that he died 
at two minutes past ten o'clock ! " 

The Lenten season of this year Hannington kept 
with much severity, fasting rigorously in private every 
Wednesday and Friday. 

On April 23d he wrote to his mother, saying: "I have 
decided in favor of the Church. I believe that God is 
with me in this matter." 

On July 5th he received the Holy Communion for the 
first time. He wrote in his diary: " I am afraid whether 
I am fit. I was not so fixed in thought as I "wished." 
Shortly after, something that he read in a " fairy tale," 
or some train of thought started by some expression in 
the book he held in his hand, led him to self-examina- 
tion. He came to the conclusion that his frame of mind 
was not what it should be, and that he needed bracing 
up to his duties, both religious and secular. He writes, 
"Prayer refreshed me." It was not yet very intelligent 
prayer ; but it was the petition of a soul seeking, 
though with much blind groping, after a higher life, 
and, as such, was doubtless heard and answered by the 
Eternal Father. 

The next day's entry runs thus : " I have to-day been 
much better in work. It comes easier to me when I 
watch and pray." 

At this period of his spiritual development the func- 
tions of the Church evidently exercised a strong fascina- 
tion over him. He made a point of being present when 
anything was being done by the clergy in the neighbor- 
hood. Within a fortnight we find him at the laying of 
two foundation-stones of ecclesiastical buildings, and 
listening with admiration to speeches made by the 



44 James Hannifigton. [A.D. 1868. 

Bishops of Chichester and Oxford. He threw himself 
with his accustomed energy into this newly-found chan- 
nel for his activity. He inaugurated, in connection with 
the Church Harvest-Home Festival, the first sports that 
had been known in Hurstpierpoint. He was to be seen 
frequently at services in the parish church, or at choral 
and other festivals. He waited diligently upon the lips 
of such distinguished preachers as might come within 
possible distance of his home. His mind was apparent- 
ly just in that condition in which a permanent bias, one 
way or the other, might have been imparted to it had he 
been brought into contact with one strong enough to 
exercise a controlling influence over him, and willing to 
use it. 

But his time had not yet come. If the town of Man- 
soul was beginning to feel the stress of the siege, it was 
by no means yet taken, or even ready to be taken by 
assault. The volatile and fun-loving nature of the 
young man soon resumed its sway over him, the newly- 
fanned flame of ecclesiastical ardor soon paled and 
died down, and though he certainly never repudiated 
religion, it is equally certain that, for some years to 
come, he laid no claim to be esteemed "religious." 

One important acquaintanceship, formed shortly after 
he came of age, was destined to exercise a very happy 
and altogether beneficial influence upon his character. 
He was introduced to Dean Burgon, then Fellow of 
Oriel, at the house of his brother-in-law, Archdeacon 
Rose. Hannington writes concerning him: "He is so 
kind, and seems to take a great interest in me, and gives 
me kind advice, which I hope that I shall follow. He 
soon perceives a fault. He stops to play with all the 
small children he sees. Mrs. Rose frequently says to 
him, 'Dear John, I wish they would make you a canon '; 



JEt. 21.] Dean Burgon. 45 

and he seems to regard himself as not at all worthy of 
such promotion. Sunday was spent by us all, Burgon 
and myself included, in taking classes in the Sunday- 
school. He preached in the afternoon, and then took 
me with him for a walk." 

Kind attention bestowed upon a young man is seldom 
wasted. In Hannington's case his esteem for Dean 
Burgon helped to ballast him, and was no insignificant 
quantity in his University life. 

His college friends used to watch him, with an amused 
surprise, wending his way every Sunday evening to the 
Greek Testament class which Dean Burgon held in his 
rooms in Oriel. But he was not to be dissuaded. I do 
not recollect that he ever missed that class when he 
could by any possibility attend it. How can it be 
doubted that, though his spiritual nature was not as yet 
sufficiently awakened to enable him to enjoy Bible study 
for its own sake, those Bible classes did him good ? 
They and the society of the good and sincere man who 
conducted them, and whose original personality com- 
mended him in an especial manner to the heart of Han- 
nington, were safeguards and a sort of sheet-anchors, 
which helped to keep him from drifting whither so 
many have suffered shipwreck. 

So, then, with the full consent of his parents, the first 
step was taken which severed him from a commercial 
life, and it was decided that James Hannington should, 
in due time, seek for ordination as a clergyman of the 
Church of England. 



CHAPTER V. 

LIFE AT OXFORD. 

(1868—69.) 

" Not in the sunshine, not in the rain, 
Not in the night of the stars untold, 
Shall we ever all meet again, 

Or be as we were in the days of old. 

" But as ships cross, and more cheerily go, 
Having changed tidings upon the sea, 
So I am richer by them, I know, 

And they are not poorer, I trust, by me." 

Walter Smith. 

On the 226. of October, 1868, James Hannington's 
name was entered as a Commoner in the books of St. 
Mary Hall, Oxford. My own personal recollections or 
him date from this time. Eighteen years have passed 
since then. Later events have crowded out from my 
mind many of the earlier memories of my life, and the 
lichen growth of time is slowly but surely effacing some 
of the most deeply-grooved impressions. Nevertheless 
I can still without difficulty recall the moment when I 
first heard the sound of his voice. Why the impression 
of that moment should have lingered with me I cannot 
tell, except that his voice was a singular one — in timbre 
quite unlike any other voice which I have ever heard. 

I was seated, a solitary freshman, in a dark little room 
which was usually allotted to the last comer. The sin- 
gle lance-window looked out upon the "Quad," with its 
paved walks, square patch of grass, and central clump 
(46) 



JEt. 21.] His Voice. 47 

of dwarf shrubs. A little disconsolate and lonely was I 
at that moment, wondering what sort of companions 
those might prove among whom my lot was to be cast 
during the next three years or so. As I sat in somewhat 
melancholy mood amongst the cups and saucers, decan- 
ters, and tumblers, brand-new kettle and tea-pot, and 
other paraphernalia of a student's housekeeping, which 
had been sent in that afternoon by various tradesmen, 
my attention was arrested by a passing group of men 
who cast a heavy shadow through the narrow window. 
They were talking loudly, but one voice separated itself 
distinctly from the others. I was keenly alive to every 
new impression, and the tone of that voice remained 
with me. 

It was half plaintive, half petulant, but, withal, wholly 
attractive. I fell to picturing to myself what kind of 
man the owner of that v T oice might me. The following 
day I was introduced to him, and for the first time set 
my eyes on James Hannington. 

Let me try and describe him as he was when he made 
his first appearance in St. Mary Hall, as a freshman, in 
the autumn of 1868. A tall, well-proportioned young 
fellow, with somewhat loosely and pliably set figure, 
that gave promise of both activity and power. Careless 
in his dress — rather affecting a soft white hat, broad- 
soled boots, and a general abandon of costume. His face 
was the very index to his character. I have before me, 
as I write, some dozen photographs which were taken 
between the years '63 and '8$. During that time the 
face has filled out and matured, but it is substantially 
the same. He was then in his twenty-first year, of pale, 
rather sallow, complexion. A mouth, the pouting lips 
of which seemed half-humorously to protest against life 
w general. A pair of clear gray eyes, which twinkled 



48 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868. 

with latent fun, though deep set beneath projecting 
brows which suggested unusual powers of observation 
and penetration. A nose not too prominent, but sharp 
and inquiring, the nostrils of it readily expanding when 
moved by indignation. (He used, after his first African 
journey, to delight in telling how the natives would 
compare it to a spear !) The chin firm set, and jaws 
square, without any too-marked massiveness. The ears, 
not lying close to the head, but set at rather an angle. 
A face combative, yet attractive. Volatile, yet full of 
latent strength. Assertive, yet retiring. Altogether, 
quite a noticeable face and figure: not by any means to 
be ignored. The outer clothing of a nature capable of 
great things, if seized and moulded by the Divine Spirit. 
What otherwise — who might venture to prophesy ? 

Carlyle professes to attach much significance to a 
man's laughter. He says, " How much lies in laughter; 
the cipher key wherewith we decipher the whole man ! 
.... The fewest are able to laugh what we call laugh- 
ing." * Hannington would so far have satisfied his re- 
quirements. None who have heard his laugh can surely 
ever forget it. When he laughed the spirit of laughter 
took full possession of him, and shook him sorely before 
it would let him go. His laughter was contagious, he 
so evidently enjoyed it ; it came welling up with such 
wild, uncontrollable waves, that one found himself irre- 
sistibly compelled to give way and join in too, aye, till 
the tears ran down his cheeks, out of pure sympathy. 

His voice was, as I have said before, unlike any other; 
at least, any other that I have ever heard. It was not 
unmusical ; of considerable power too ; but with a cer- 
tain plaintive quaver in it, — a certain staccato thrusting 

. * Sartor Resartus. 



JEt. 2i.] Takes the College by Storm. 49 

forth of single words and short sentences that was 
strangely characteristic of its owner. A sort of inter- 
mittent fountain, it corresponded with his movements. 

These, like his voice, were not smooth or even. He 
was far from being awkward; there was even a certain 
easy power in all that he did which was not far removed 
from graceful bearing, yet it was as though he studiously 
avoided conventional attitudes. When he walked, he 
walked with his whole body and shoulders; but whether 
he walked, stood, or sat, he was distinctly himself, and 
never quite like anybody else. When I first saw him, 
he was leaning against the lintel of the door which 
opened from his own staircase upon the Quadrangle. 
He was surrounded by a group of men, all seniors, with 
whom he was chatting, and evidently on the best of 
terms. To my freshman's eyes, beholding with awe- 
struck reverence those second and third year men, Han- 
nmgton's audacity in thus taking the college by storm 
seemed boundless. It was evident that, though a fresh- 
man, he had already been received into their circle, and 
that the seniors regarded him as an acquisition to their 
society. 

Perhaps this was partly owing to the fact that he 
came up to Oxford with more experience of the world 
than many others; it was more probably owing to the irre- 
sistible magnetism of his genial good fellowship, coupled 
with his decided individuality and force of character ; 
but, from whatever cause, there can be no doubt that 
he almost immediately began to exercise an influence 
over his fellow-students, and that he shortly established 
for himself an ascendency over them which he main- 
tained without a rival until the end of his University 
course. 

It cannot be said that Hannington was an industrious 
3 



50 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868. 

student. On the contrary, the golden opportunity of 
those undergraduate years was missed by him, as by so 
many others who vainly regret, but cannot recall, what 
they then despised. Not that he was ever a dunce. 
What he chose to learn — and he learned everything that 
interested him — he knew accurately and thoroughly. In 
chemistry, botany, natural history, and general science 
he was singularly well grounded, and, as a student of 
medicine, he would probably have taken a high degree. 
But for classics he had very little taste. He had never 
gone through that course of patient gerund-grinding 
and grammar-grating by which public school-boys are 
broken in, and he was by nature very impatient of any 
yoke which compelled him to plod continuously along 
the line of a given furrow. Some seven years, moreover, 
had elapsed since he left school, and what slight smat- 
tering of classic lore he had there acquired must have, 
by this time, almost passed from him. Add to which 
fact the consideration that the whole previous training 
of his life had not been such as to fit him for close study, 
or to accustom him to endure the strain of continual 
intellectual effort. 

We have it on no less an authority than that of Pliny, 
that " the mind is aroused to action by the active exer- 
cise of the body." This may be accepted if we under- 
stand by "active exercise" sufficient exercise to coun- 
teract the evils of a sedentary life. But we are inclined 
to think that more than this is apt to have a contrary 
effect upon the mind, and by over-development of the 
bodily faculties, check the development of the mental. 
There is no time when we are less disposed to think 
continuously or deeply than when we are making some 
great physical effort, or enjoying the excitement of a 
life of constant movement. Hannington had hitherto 



JEt. 21.] An U?idergraduates Room. 51 

given himself little time to think, while at the same 
time he had never been idle. That he was slow in de- 
veloping those mental powers which, if earlier matured, 
might have secured for him the honors of the "schools," 
may be attributed largely to those constant excursions 
and voyages by which his love of adventure had been 
indulged. It must also be borne in mind that he had 
had, until now, no direct incentive, or even encourage- 
ment, to study. On the contrary, he had been taught 
that he might dispense with learning, the absence of 
which had proved no bar to the success of either his 
father or grandfather. It is not surprising, then, that it 
took some time for him to shake himself down into the 
course of the University curriculum, and that his degree 
was somewhat delayed in consequence. 

Hannington's rooms in St. Mary Hall bore witness to 
his wanderings. They were large and airy; oak panelled 
from floor to ceiling. In one corner, over a drawer cabi- 
net full of curiosities and specimens, hung two gilt and 
painted Icons from Moscow. Opposite was a curious 
drawing of a terrier's head, burnt with a branding iron 
upon a panel of some hard wood, and picked up I know 
not where. Conspicuous was a portrait of his mother, a 
dignified and handsome lady, with much facial likeness 
to her son. Elsewhere, a rack full of whips and sticks 
of every size and shape. A miscellaneous heap of nar- 
whal's and swordfish's horns, old weapons and what not, 
filled up a corner. A shady place was found for a con- 
siderable glass tank, wherein various fish, including a 
young jack, disported themselves. Add to all this pic- 
tures, china, bric-a-brac, and ornaments of the usual type, 
a plentiful stock of lounging chairs, with a good, capa- 
cious sofa of the old-fashioned square kind ; bookcases 
fairly well filled, especially with works on natural his- 



52 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868, 

tory ; portfolios full of scraps, and deep, red-cushioned 
window embrasures in which to double up the limbs and 
cosily con the same, and you will have a fair idea of what 
those rooms were like. 

Here Hannington kept open house. Here his friends 
were wont to assemble, and here a frank and kindly wel- 
come always awaited all who were congenial. 

While Hannington had in him all the elements of 
popularity, and never failed to make himself liked, he 
did not go out of his way to make friends. He was not 
much inclined at this time to " suffer fools gladly." He 
would form strong and apparently instinctive antipathies 
against certain persons, antipathies for which he could 
offer no more valid reason than that given in Martial's 
celebrated epigram : 

" Non amo te, Sabidi, nee possum dicere quare ; 
Hoc tantum possum dicere, Non amo te." * 

Well, he may have been sometimes unjust, but, on the 
whole, I am inclined to think that he was not often at 
fault in his estimate of a man's character. 

Nor was he a man to be trifled with. He possessed a 
quick, passionate temper of his own, which it was never 
difficult to rouse, and those who thought to take ad- 
vantage of his free and open manner, or of any eccen- 
tricity of his, were soon disabused ; they were rarely 
rash enough to tempt him a second time. When seri- 
ously angry, he was capable de tout y and was quite formid- 
able. All his friends thoroughly understood this, and 
regulated their conduct accordingly. 

But through all his actions there ran a strong under- 

« 

* Which may be freely translated by the well-known couplet : 
" I do not like you, Dr. Fell, 
But why I don't I cannot tell/' 



JEt. 21.] A Noisy Undergraduate, 53 

current of genuine kindliness, unaffected simplicity, and 
genial love of his kind which at once attracted others to 
him. He was one of the few men who, while a leader in 
an exclusive and hoi-polloi-despising college set, was 
acquainted with and popular with all down to the last- 
arrived freshman. He could be keenly jealous, too, for 
the prerogatives of his party, and his friends will recall 
some sufficiently stormy scenes when the authority of 
the " Red Club " was invaded by some daring revolu- 
tionary spirits, who objected to privileged oligarchies. 
Notwithstanding this, there was no man who succeeded 
better in effacing differences, and in creating among the 
community a healthy esprit de corps. Wherein his " great 
strength " lay did not appear at first, or upon a brief ac- 
quaintanceship. He seemed to be wholly given over to 
the spirit of fun — to deliberately yield himself to the 
perpetration of nonsense. He loved to startle and shock 
the sensibilities of the staid followers of established 
precedent. When the mood was upon him, he could be 
as troublesome as a school-boy, and his spirits were 
quite as untamable. 

He must surely have tried to the utmost the patience of 
the much-enduring and long-suffering Principal, whose 
tact in dealing with him cannot be too highly admired, 
and who won for himself Hannington's warm esteem and 
regard. He was accustomed, good-naturedly, to chaff 
everybody, and loved to play queer practical jokes upon 
his friends. But with all this there was an underlying 
earnestness of purpose which, coupled with an iron in- 
flexibility of will, soon made itself felt. It was generally 
recognized, before he had been long in residence, that 
he had something in him, that he knew what he wanted, 
and that, when once he had made up his mind that a 
thing ought to be done, he was not to be denied. 



54 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868. 

He might, with boyish glee, bring- a whole armful of 
fireworks into college on the 5th of November, and let 
them off in defiance of all rules and regulations ; he 
might complete a festivity by galloping round the Quad 
upon a chair at the head of his companions in riot ; he 
might be known chiefly to the unthinking as the organ- 
izer of wild pranks, the getter-up of burlesque theatri- 
cals, the hospitable entertainer at noisy feasts ; but, be- 
neath all this, were sterling qualities which soon left 
their impress upon the little world in which he moved,' 
and caused his influence to be more deeply and widely 
felt than that of many older and more talented men. 

He was, moreover, unselfish, open-handed, and gener- 
ous to lavishness. He was always ready to be paymas- 
ter whenever his companions would consent to lay that 
burden upon him. Those who needed his assistance and 
made claim upon his purse seldom or never met with a 
refusal. This readiness to impart of course laid him 
open to the attacks of one or two " notorious sponges." 
But only at first. He was, as we have said, a pretty 
keen judge of character. If once his suspicions were 
aroused they were hard to allay, and then his contempt 
would be bluntly outspoken. His caustic wit was not 
to be easily endured by those whose designs upon him- 
self or others he thought that he had fathomed. 

Even his " scout," and the funny old Mother-Bunch of 
a bed-maker, while they found him the most considerate 
and liberal of masters, for his manner with servants was 
always courteous and winning, soon discovered that he 
was no fool, and not to be squeezed at their pleasure. 
Ah, me ! that bed-maker ! With her heavy wheezing 
voice in which she would perpetually "beg parding," 
and the slowly creaking shoes upon which she and her 
pails would ascend the groaning stairs ! Like all the 



JEt. 21 J An Inveterate Tease. 55 

other servants, she " did like Mr. Hannington, but he 
were a curious young gentleman — yes, that he were." 

In his younger days Hannington was a most inveter- 
ate tease. He'would sometimes irritate his victim to 
the utmost verge of all possible endurance ; but then he 
thoroughly understood the principle of give and take, 
and never objected to be teased in return. I cannot rec- 
ollect him to have lost his temper, or even to have shown 
signs of annoyance in this game of thrust and parry. Jf 
some friend's own galled withers were wrung of tenet 1 
than he liked, he had at least the satisfaction of know- 
ing that he might try his hardest to find some sensitive 
spot in the skin of his tormentor. At this time he was 
very quick to resent and avenge an insult, but he seemed 
even to thoroughly enjoy to be made the target for whole 
sheaves of arrows of legitimate " chaff." 

Some men are privileged. By general consent they 
are allowed to say and do with impunity things which 
would not be tolerated from others. Hannington was 
one of these. 

It was impossible to be cross with him. Even the 
Dons extended to him an unwritten license. Upon one 
occasion, I recollect, the Principal remonstrated with 
him by letter upon want of attention to study, and in 
quired how long he intended to continue " a gentleman 
at large." To this the irrepressible alumnus at once re- 
plied, " I hope that you will in future regard me no 
longer as a gentleman at large, but a gentleman at 
'smalls'!" Who else would have dared such a re- 
joinder? 

His wit was quite unsparing. As I had at that time 
some small aptitude for catching likenesses, while he was 
an adept at rapid rhyming, he persuaded me to join with 
him in framing a book to be entitled the " Skimmery 



56 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868. 

Album." In this most of the men were to be found 
humorously depicted and described. Few escaped the 
pillory, from the Principal downward. In looking back 
upon that work of art, I am not quite sure that either 
the rhymes or the drawings were always polite, or even 
in the best of taste; but of this I am quite sure, that no 
one took the jest amiss. It was " only Jim." None of 
his darts were poisoned. If, perchance, they caused a 
moment's irritation, they left behind them no envenom- 
ed sting, or anything that could rankle or cause per- 
manent pain. The man who essayed to leave his room, 
and found that his " oak " had been firmly screwed to 
the doorpost by some stealthy practitioner from with- 
out, and himself a helpless prisoner, after vowing ven- 
geance upon the unknown impertinent, would relent 
when he discovered that he had been victimized by the 
incorrigible Jim. 

The luckless one who returned from an evening party 
to find that some mischievous sprite had transformed his 
trim chambers into a very miscellany, and " made hay" 
of his goods and chattels, would smile resignedly when 
he traced the hand of the irrepressible joker. 

The very boatmen at Salter's would grin when he 
came down to the river, and make ready to smile at the 
pleasantries of the St. Mary Hall captain. He was well 
known everywhere, and I make bold to say, wherever he 
was known he was well liked. 

Hannington's thoroughness in carrying out whatever 
he undertook has already been alluded to. Under his 
captaincy the boat club throve and prospered. When 
the post of captain fell vacant, and was offered to him as 
the result of a unanimous vote, he made a little speech 
to the effect that he would accept the position, and en- 
deavor to do his duty in it; but on one condition only. 



Mt. 21.] A Stem Chase. 57 

If he were to be captain, he should expect to be implic it- 
ly obeyed. He would resign the moment he failed to 
inspire confidence in the club, but he would never con- 
sent to be captain in name only. The boat needed a 
strict captain, and, if they elected him, he did not mean 
to give them cause to find fault with him in that respect. 
His speech was hailed with acclamations; and he proved 
himself as good as his word. He not only sought out 
the best men and coached them assiduously, but he kept 
them close to their work. Absentees were hunted up, 
warned, and duly exhorted to mend their ways. Punc- 
tuality was insisted upon. Training was rigidly exact- 
ed, and rules made, which, like those of the Medes and 
Persians, might not be altered. However, if the captain 
made great demands upon others, it was certain that 
he never spared himself, and so gave no occasion for 
grumbling. 

And how he would row ! Like everything else that 
he did, he did it with all his might. As he was wont to 
say : " I would row my heart out sooner than that we 
should be bumped." I find in his diary mention of one 
ludicrous scene over which we often laughed. The long 
line of " eights " that May morning lay like huge water- 
spiders, one behind the other, upon the surface of the 
still river. Each was held in its place by boathooks 
from the bank, and waited for the signal gun to dart 
forward in pursuit of the boat ahead. We were all 
rather nervous. We knew that we were a better crew 
than the one above us, but strongly suspected that we 
might fall a victim to the still better boat below. We 
sucked our slice of lemon, stripped to the thinnest of 
jerseys and flannels, and grimly determined to bump, if 
possible, before we were bumped. After the momentary 
confusion which followed the roar of the gun, and when 

3* 



58 James Hannington. [A.D. i868 ? 

we had settled down into our stroke, we soon found that 
we had our work cut out for us. The crew behind was 
working grandly ; the eight backs swung to and fro 
like a well-balanced machine; at each stroke their boat 
leaped from the water; it was quite evident that they 
were overhauling us hand over hand. Hannington was 
rowing just behind me at No. 7, and I knew that he was 
tearing at his oar like one demented, but felt too, with- 
out being able to see, that all was not right with him; 
what it was I could not tell. As we entered " the gut," 
where the river makes a sharp turn, the " stroke " of the 
boat below called upon his crew for a spurt, that they 
might catch us while we were held back by the drag of 
our rudder. The chase became exciting, the two boats 
almost overlapped, and the shouts from the crowd on 
the towing path, as the friends of the two crews mingled 
into one, swelled into a prolonged roar. As we, hardly 
escaping from our pursuer, emerged from "the gut" 
into the straight reach, I could not help noticing that 
the shouts of encouragement from the shore were inter- 
mixed with laughter, till by and by the laughter pre- 
dominated, and, to my no small disgust, the grinning 
faces of the crowd, as we now hugged the Berkshire 
shore, were evidently directed upon our boat. What had 
we done ? Who was doing what ? This was quite too 
dreadful ! I was not long, however, left in doubt. As 
we passed the post, and I turned to congratulate Jim 
upon our escape, I beheld him overwhelmed with con- 
fusion and shame. In his immense energy he had worked 
his nether garments almost wholly off, and the latter 
half of that hard-fought race had been rowed by him, not 
without frantic snatches at his disappearing raiment, 
garbed almost as slightly as Ulysses and his crew, as 
depicted upon some ancient vase ! 



JEt. 21.] The Last Town-and-Gown Row. 59 

He was also a great canoe man. When the floods were 
out, and all the low country was one vast lake, from 
which protruded the tops of the highest hedges and the 
long lines of pollard willows which marked the course 
of streams, we would betake ourselves to light canoes 
= £nd seek adventures, shooting the boiling rush of the 
foaming " lashers," and letting ourselves be whirled down 
by the mad waves of the swollen and straining river. 
Here, as everywhere else, Jim was always to be found 
at the post of danger. The ugly eddy which swirled 
with sullen roar beneath the arch of some sunken bridge 
or the sweep of the deep and treacherous Cherwell, tea* 
ing madly through the branches of some submerged 
tree, which spread themselves like a net to catch and 
.entangle the unwary canoeist as he rounded a difficult 
corner — these were his delight. He became a perfect 
master of his tiny craft, and was soon able to paddle 
while standing upright almost as easily as when seated. 
How keenly he would enjoy the fun of a canoe race ! In 
this every one is allowed to do his best to hinder or over- 
turn his competitors ; and here Hannington's mingled 
boldness and dexterity gave him a great advantage. 

He had, too, the young Englishman's love for a 
stand-up fight. The 5th of November, 1868, saw the 
last of those " town-and-gown rows " which had been 
so long a disgrace to the University. The authorities 
had determined to put an end to the unseemly spec- 
tacle, and a strong force of proctors and their myrmi- 
dons patrolled the streets. There was, notwithstanding, 
a good deal of fighting. One undergraduate was killed, 
and others were more or less injured. Those few gowns- 
men who escaped the proctors and their "bulldogs" 
linked arms, and tried to drive the mob up the High 
Street before them. Hannington was, of course, in the 



60 James Hannington. [A.D. 1868. 

thick of the melee. He had witnessed the fatal blow by 
which the student mentioned above had been struck 
down, and was filled with a Berserk rage and thirst for 
retribution. His friend, having just been himself " run 
in " by a proctor, and secured within the Hall gates, 
has a vivid remembrance of that indignant figure, with 
the light of battle in his eye, and his avenging fist 
stained with the gore of his adversaries, struggling in 
the hands of those who conducted him back to his col- 
lege, and compelled him to desist from the conflict. 

There was an undefinable charm about this bright, 
queer, passionate, fun-loving, unconquerable under- 
graduate. A mutual friend writes of him: "He was in 
some subtle way the life and soul of our set." With all 
his seeming volatility, he possessed that indescribable 
something which Chalmers used to call " wecht," and to 
which he justly attributed so great importance. That 
weight without which no man can achieve greatness, 
but the possession of which makes its owner a force in 
the world. 

And the influence which he exercised was always, 
even in his most careless days, in the main for good. 
We have seen, by the extracts quoted from his diary, 
that he was already accustomed to think at times deeply 
and seriously. It is true, if I may repeat what I have 
elsewhere written of him, "he was not, in his under- 
graduate days, a man with a definite purpose. He had 
not, apparently, any settled object in the regeneration 
of the society in which he moved; his religion, as Dodd- 
ridge says of Colonel Gardiner, 'still hung loose to 
him.' All the stops of his* nature had not yet been 
pulled out by the consecration of his life to Christ; the 
tunes played upon that life were still, perhaps, purpose- 
less, yet they were, withal, harmless enough. I never 



JEt. 21.] A Specimen Sunday. 61 

knew him to fall into any of those vices common to 
young men. While he was eminently social, he never 
indulged himself to excess. During his residence at 
Oxford he exercised a real and entirely salubrious in- 
fluence over his fellows. At the club ' wines,' under his 
presidency, sobriety became the order of the day, and 
to exceed became discreditable. He was, in his wildest 
moments, sound at the core, and there are not a few 
who will have felt the better for his companionship." * 

We have already had occasion to remark that the boy 
James, however addicted to pleasure, was never given 
to "loafing." His very idleness was busy. We notice 
the same characteristic in the young man. He equally 
eschewed the society of the fashionable lounger, who 
voted energy to be "bad form," who frequented the 
High Street, and there exhibited, with languid grace, 
the faultless cut of irreproachable tailoring ; and that 
of the self-indulgent and beslippered novel-reader, as 
loth to seek his couch at night as to rise betimes from 
his bed in the morning. 

The following extract from his diary gives the details 
of a single Sunday which may be taken as a not unfair 
example of many others : — " 7 a.m., Holy Communion. 
9 a.m., Chapel. 10.30, 'Varsity Sermon by Dr. Gould- 
burn; twenty-mile walk with E. Ashmead-Bartlett. 5.15, 
Chapel. 7.30, Service in St. Mary's. 9 p.m., Greek Tes- 
tament Lecture under Burgon." Which all must, surely, 
confess was a fairly well-filled day ! 

Hannington spent the Christmas vacation of 1868-69 
in his usual energetic manner, by rushing over to Ger- 
many, and visiting Berlin, Dresden, and other continent- 
al cities in midwinter. 

* C. M. Intelligencer, April, 1 886. 



62 James Hannington. [A.D. 1869. 

He was still, as the Principal put it, more disposed to 
play the part of the " gentleman at large " than that of 
the student. During the ensuing term we find notes of 
two visits to Cambridge, which he, of course, compares 
unfavorably with his own dear Alma Mater. The rest 
of the term is occupied with sports of various kind. E. 
Ashmead-Bartlett and he had struck up a great friend- 
ship ; and Hannington threw himself heart and soul 
into his friend's early successes in athletics, in which he 
then had an ambition to excel. He records his pleasure 
when Ashmead-Bartlett ran third in the 'Varsity three 
mile race, which secured to him the right to take pari 
in the next Inter-University sports. He tried his hand 
at the " new French two-wheeled velocipedes," then first 
introduced into Oxford, and which resembled the per- 
fect bicycle of to-day not much more closely than " Puff- 
ing Billy " resembles the express locomotive of the 
" Flying Scotsman." He gave large wines, and got up 
and acted in the great hall doggerel English versions of 
Greek plays. In fact, like other young men of high 
spirits and social gifts, he entered thoroughly into the 
enjoyments of this new life. He appreciated its free- 
dom, made all the more piquant by the appearance of 
restraint imposed by college rules, and was disposed to 
make the utmost of its possibilities. 

Though he afterwards became an efficient speaker, 
and could even now, upon such occasions as that nar- 
rated above at his Boat Club election, speak pithily and 
to the purpose, he was not fond of speechifying. Like 
some of his contemporaries, who have since found their 
tongues, he did not much affect the excellent college 
debating society, much less the debates at the Union. 
Action was more in his line than speech. Had he lived 
in the days of the Scotists and Smiglesians, he would 



JEt. 22.] Gratified Ambitions. 63 

have, doubtless, borne a good club in Logic Lane.* He 
had the young Briton's thorough contempt for a " mug." 

To row in his college boat, and be captain of it, to be 
the most popular man in residence, and perhaps some 
day to be elected president of the then flourishing Red 
Club, these were things compared with which a good 
degree seemed but as the dust in the balance. Some 
little time afterwards, when these ambitions were grati- 
fied, he writes : " I am now captain of the boats and 
president of the club. So I am at the head of every- 
thing." Ah, well ! most healthy young minds pass 
through this phase of experience. The time was com- 
ing when those things which now seemed of least ac- 
count would bulk most largely in his eyes — when he too 
would " put away childish things." 

In the meanwhile his life went on as before, little 
changed by his adoption of those outward and visible 
signs of learning, the cap and gown. The Long Vaca- 
tion of '69 — as though his whole life hitherto had not 
been one long vacation — was spent in a yachting tour, 
during which he visited the coast and ports of Holland. 
Of this trip a few notes from his diary may be sufficient. 
While at Antwerp, he writes : " I am rather astonished 
at myself, on viewing for the third time Rubens' ' De- 
scent from the Cross.' I have lately been studying con- 
tinental pictures very keenly, and have, I think, a better 
eye for merit than formerly. The first time I beheld it 
with disappointment, the second time with indifference, 

*"The followers of Duns Scotus and Martin Smiglesius, who 
lived respectively in the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. The 
students used to adopt their tenets, and when argument failed, 
would try to cudgell each other into acquiescence. Logic Lane is 
' a narrow defile where the partisans used to encounter,' hence its 
name."— Addison {Essay XCL, " On Managing a Debate") 



64 James Hannington. [A.D. 1869. 

the third time with rapture. The figures I cannot help 
thinking too muscular, and the features coarse to vul- 
garity, but the lifelessness of the body and the coloring 
seem to me perfection. I could not take my eyes off the 
picture, until the man, thinking I had had enough for 
my money, covered it up." 

Hannington next took his steam yacht up the Rhine, 
and had some exciting adventures on the rapid waters 
of that treacherous river. Once the ship caught fire. 
" We had proceeded about two miles past Bommel, when 
the steward came to me and called me aside most mys- 
teriously. He thought he had better inform me quite 
privately that smoke was pouring up through the ship's 
floor. I darted down below and found, as he said, the 
cabin full of smoke. There was no doubt that the ship 
was on fire. ' Send quickly for the carpenter, and don't 
tell the others for a few minutes. Now, carpenter, keep 
your head cool : the vessel is on fire ! tear up this floor 
at once ! ' Then running on deck to the pilot : ' Bring 
up as quickly as possible. Engineer, draw fires, and be 
ready if I want you for a stiffish piece of work.' We 
could find no fire under the cabin, but everywhere 
smoke. Then we went to the coal bunk, and directly it 
was opened the smoke rolled out in volumes. My heart 
sank. The coals on fire ! Nothing could save her from 
utter destruction ! We turned the coals over, but found 
no fire, although the smoke kept rolling out. Next it 
began to burst out behind the donkey engine. Dread- 
ful suspense ! Be calm ! With much difficulty we tore 
up the engine-room floor, and then saw the keel in a 
blaze ! Bad as this was, it was a relief to have found 
the enemy. I shouted to the men, who had gathered 
anxiously round, to stand to the buckets, and, stripping 
off coat and waistcoat I took one myself ; and then, turn 



,Et. 22.] An Adventure. 65 

ing on all the taps, we speedily filled her with water to 
the floor, and thus extinguished the flame. It was an 
anxious time, however. The fire appeared to be in close 
proximity to the coals, of which w.e had a large supply. 
Had they been ignited our chance of escape would have 
been small. It resulted from the ash-pan almost, if not 
quite, resting upon the wooden keel. The iron had be- 
come red hot, and kindled the wood. Why, indeed, this 
had not happened before I cannot tell." 

Next comes the following entry : — " Brought up at 
Nimegen; created a most profound sensation. It appears 
that the Queen's yacht, the Fairy, is the only one that 
has yet ascended the Rhine, so the people think that 
I must be of the blood royal. On landing everybody 
was so obsequiously polite that I had almost too much 
of a good thing. However, without assuming to myself 
any dignity beyond that of an ordinary English gentle- 
man of great affability, I inspected with great interest 
all that is to be seen in this out-of-the-way little place, 
unnoticed by Murray or Bradshaw." 

Any generation of overweening pride was, however, 
properly checked by the next adventure. " We steamed 
on to the Prussian frontier. Here I had to land, and, in 
spite of explanations that the yacht was not either a 
merchant or passenger vessel, I had to make a manifest 
of everything on board — rice, salt, tobacco, wine, etc. 
Of course, I did not know in the least what we actually 
had. I, therefore, told the man whatever came into my 
head, as a pound or two of tea, two loaves of bread, fifty 
bottles of wine, etc. I then had to sign my name to 
four different papers to vouch for the accuracy of my 
statement. Anybody can imagine my delight when, 
having solemnly made my declaration, I was informed 
that the custom-house officers would come on board 



66 James Hannington. [A.D. 1869. 

directly to see if my statement were true ! It was an in- 
sult hard to brook without flying into a passion. In a 
few minutes ten officers arrived. I received them as if 
they were of the utmost importance, but at the same 
time as if I was more so. I then told the steward to take 
them round, but to show them nothing else but the joint 
of meat. I, in the meantime, got hold of one who seemed 
the most officious, and although he declared in a loud 
voice that he would not touch a thing, I managed to 
pour a glass of my very best down his throat, while his 
subordinates were below. We shook hands repeatedly, 
and became sworn friends. They finally declared that 
they must have a bottle of wine to test its strength, 
which they did, and sent it back in half an hour with a 
charge of about £1 on my declaration, which I thought 
moderate." 

To his great satisfaction, Hannington was able to 
bring the yacht to Cologne at the time appointed to 
meet his father. He had had many difficulties to con- 
tend with. The navigation of the river proved both 
tedious and dangerous for a vessel of the lo/e's draught. 
Many times they stuck upon sandbanks, or were stranded 
upon hidden reefs. The pilot again and again urged 
him to telegraph to his father to announce the impossi- 
bility of reaching Cologne by the day mentioned. To 
this he had but one reply : " I have undertaken to be there." 
And there, on the 7th of August, to the surprise of all, 
he was. 

All this was, no doubt, conducive to the formation of 
character. It helped to produce in him that self-reliance 
and readiness of resource which afterwards so remark- 
ably distinguished him as a missionary pioneer. But it 
did not help him much to make up leeway in his classic- 
al education. 



Mt. 22.] 



Goes to Devonshire. 



6 7 



It is not surprising, therefore, to learn that, when he 
returned to Oxford in the autumn of '69, and at once 
took up his old role as Master of the Revels, the Prin- 
cipal strongly recommended him to seek out a compe- 
tent tutor in some quiet and retired part of the country, 
where there would be few distractions, and where he 
would have no temptation to seek other friends than his 
books. 

For this purpose he suggested the Rev. C. Scriven, 
Rector of Martinhoe. He could not have selected a bet- 
ter man. But the place ! Alas ! how could the Princi- 
pal, with all his kindly forethought, know that this per- 
plexing undergraduate would find in Devonshire peas- 
ant folk, and still more in Devonshire cliffs and seas, 
distractions even greater than college life could offer 
him ? 



CHAPTER VI. 

MARTINHOE. 
(1870—73.) 

"A great, broad-shouldered, genial Englishman." 

Princess. 

Martinhoe and Trentishoe are two small sister par- 
ishes on the wild north coast of Devonshire, about half- 
way between Ilfracombe and The Foreland. Far from 
any railway station, they are shut off from the rest of 
the world by their inaccessibility. The population of 
the two parishes, at that time held by Mr. Scriven, does 
not much exceed three hundred souls. These are, how- 
ever, scattered over a wide extent of country. A lonely 
place is this corner of North Devon, and out of the way. 
A place of wide-stretching moorland ; dark, weather- 
scarped cliffs, and rocks worn and torn by the ceaseless 
sweep of Atlantic billows. Hannington writes of his 
first impression of the district : " The country round is 
magnificent, and I soon fell in love with both place and 
people." 

The impression which he himself made upon the party 
at the Rectory is recorded in another note : " I found 
out that their opinion of me is that I am very eccentric." 
However, in a very short time, not only they, but the 
simple country folk around, learned to love him, and to 
regard him as, in a peculiar sense, their own. He en- 
tered thoroughly into the pursuits of the people, and 
was soon widely known among them. Before he had 
(68) 



JEt. 22.] Customs of the Devonians. 69 

been long at Martinhoe he was welcomed everywhere, 
in farm-house and cottage, as a personal friend. 

The strange habits and customs of the Devonians, al- 
most unaltered through centuries, interested him greatly; 
he studied them sympathetically, while he keenly en- 
joyed the humor of them. The following is an extract 
from his diary: 

"Feb. 20th. — We had a funeral this week. The be- 
reaved gave a tremendous feast on the occasion to those 
who were invited ; and any others who chose to attend 
went to the house for tea and coffee. On Sunday they 
all came to church in a body. They came in very late, 
and sat together in a conspicuous place, remaining the 
whole time of the service with their faces buried in their 
pocket-handkerchiefs ; nor did one once look up. A 
short time since, the clerk at Trentishoe lost his wife. 
A few days after the funeral he asked for a holiday, 
borrowed a horse, and rode round the parish to sound 
all the young women on the question of matrimony. 
He arrived at the Parsonage and proposed to both the 
servants, but was refused. At last he found a lady bold 
Enough and willing to take the step, and she bids fair 
to make him a good wife. 

" There is an immense deal of superstition about here. 
Neither man, woman, nor child will enter a churchyard 
after dark, and on Midsummer night they say that the 
spirits of the departed move about the graves, and are 
to be seen. Many of the people know charms for differ- 
ent diseases, and are in great repute. Old John Jones 
can bless for the eyes: and afterwards offered to reveal 
the secret to me, in which case he would be able to 
' bless ' no more, the gift becoming mine. 

" Mrs. Jones i to the parsonage ' has a seventh son, 



70 James Hannington. [A.D. 1870. 

who has power to bless for the King's evil. Numbers 
resorted to him, but finding that he did not get sufficient 
from them, and that every time he ' blessed ' virtue went 
from him, and left him weak, he has discontinued the 
practice." 

The belief in witches still holds sway over the minds 
of the people. They have unbounded faith in charms 
and spells. I remember once to have had a conversation 
with Hannington on the subject of the supposed miracles 
at Knock, Lourdes, and other places. Whatever might 
be the source of the alleged healings, he warned me 
against summarily concluding that no cures had taken 
place. 

He said that he had himself seen the strangest cures 
effected in Africa by medicine-men with their fetish ; 
cures of which, to an impartial beholder, there could be 
little doubt. He then narrated some remarkable cases 
of persons who had, under his own observation, been 
healed by recourse to men or women who were supposed 
to be endowed with the power to " bless." He was of 
opinion that certain diseases — in fact, all those diseases 
which were directly or indirectly nervous — might, in cer- 
tain cases, be healed by a strong faith in — anything. 

The reader will, no doubt, recall the case mentioned 
both by Pascal, and also by Racine in his history of Port 
Royal, in which a daughter of Madame Perier was cured 
of a lachrymal fistula of a very bad kind, which had dis- 
figured her face for more than three years, by a touch 
from a supposed Thorn from the Crown. 

Supposing this cure to have been really effected — and 
it is testified to by no less authorities than Pascal, Ar- 
nauld, and Le Maitre — there is no need to believe that 
any special virtue resided in the " Holy Thorn." Rather 



Mt. 22.] As a "Medicine-man" yi 

that the extent to which it is possible for the mind to 
sway the body has not yet been accurately ascertained. 

Upon one occasion, and I believe one only, Hannington 
was induced to experiment upon the credulity of the peo- 
ple. The result was notable. He had a decided taste 
for the study of medicine, and had picked up at different 
times no small practical knowledge of it. The country 
doctor, indeed, trusted him so far as to seek his assist- 
ance in reporting upon and caring for many of the sim- 
pler cases of sickness. His repute as a " medicine-man " 
among the country folk themselves was great. They 
placed unlimited confidence in him. Upon the occasion 
to which allusion has been made, he was asked to pre- 
scribe for a certain woman who appeared 'to be in the last 
stage of consumption. She had been under medical 
treatment for years, but had obtained no relief. Han- 
nington filled a phial with water slightly flavored and 
colored, and attached to the cork a small leaden medal, 
such as is found on some bottles of eau-de-Cologne. 
This he gravely presented to the woman, merely saying 
to her, " When you take a dose, first turn the bottle round 
three times three ; and, whatever you do, take care that 
you do not lose that leaden medal, but return it to me when you 
are well." From that hour the woman began to amend ; 
in a very brief time the medal was returned — an appar- 
ently complete cure had been effected. I make no com- 
ment upon this, but give the story as nearly as possible 
in the same words in which he narrated it to me. 

After some more or less spasmodic reading, Hanning- 
ton returned to Oxford on March 19th, and went into 
the schools to pass his " smalls." During the first day 
of the examination he had good hopes of success ; but 
on the second day an ill-conditioned organ-grinder took 
up his station outside the "theatre," and with thehorri- 



7 2 James Hannington. [A.D. 1870. 

ble iteration of his popular airs drove all thoughts out 
of the distracted head of the unhappy student. In a fit 
of irritable despair he rushed out and withdrew his 
name. 

The next term Hannington spent in residence. He 
was at this time elected President of the " Red Club," 
which, with the captaincy of the Boat Club, was the 
highest social honor that we were able to confer upon 
him. 

On the 10th of June he again tried to pass his Re- 
sponsions, and this time successfully. 

The next entry in the diary is again from Martinhoe. 
Hannington had discovered a new source of delight. 
The cliffs descended to the sea in sheer, precipitous 
walls of three or four hundred feet. In few places was 
access to their base possible, except to bold and expe- 
rienced climbers. A perilous scramble from ledge to 
ledge in search for chough's eggs revealed the existence 
of some remarkable caves, the largest of which was then 
and there dubbed Cave Scriven. These caves, carved 
out by the foam-fingers of the tireless sea, fringed with 
immense fronds of fern, pillared with stalactite, and 
floored with firm white sand, the safe and undisturbed 
citadel of birds, were quite inaccessible to any but a 
cragsman. Hannington at once resolved that they 
should be seen and explored by the party at the Rec- 
tory, and for that purpose set to work to make a prac- 
ticable path down to the shore. Into this business he 
threw himself with characteristic energy. The engin- 
eering difficulties to be overcome were not small. The 
cliff was in many places a sheer precipice — nowhere 
could foothold be obtained except upon treacherous 
projections or crumbling ledges. However, he writes : 
*'On Sept. 1st we commenced, and secured two able- 



JEt. 22.] Amateur Engineering. 73 

bodied men and old Richard Jones to help. When 
Richard was a boy he had been the best hand in the 
parish at climbing the ' cleve ' (cliff), but now he was 
old and crippled. We thought, however, he might be 
useful to do odd jobs, so at 7 a.m. we all turned out 
with ' pick-isses,' ' two-bills,' crowbars, and spades, and 
made our way to the scene of action." 

It will be observed that Hannington had, as usual, 
succeeded in carrying along with him all his friends, 
the other pupils at the Rectory, and even the servants. 
His enthusiasm was the most infectious thing in the 
world. The most ridiculous project became, when he 
threw himself into its execution, the all-absorbing busi- 
ness of the hour. Thus, for the time being, the interest 
of the parish was concentrated upon this wonderful 
" path," which was to lead down the face of a danger- 
ous cliff, from nowhere in particular to nobody knew 
where. 

Though the leader of this pioneer corps of sappers 
and miners was almost incapacitated by a severe attack 
of shingles, he refused to succumb, and himself marked 
out the first section of the path. The party, amateurs 
and hired laborers, then set to work in good earnest, 
and soon made the first part of a practicable zigzag. 
When they got well down over the edge, however, the 
rocks proved very rotten, and after several narrow es- 
capes, the enthusiasm of some was damped, and the 
two able-bodied workmen refused to risk their lives 
further. Old Richard alone remained undaunted; and, 
with his help, and that of George Scriven, the path was 
at last completed. Some graphic extracts from the diary 
explain how it was done. Old Richard was clinging on 
to a landslip, and plying his pick as best he could, when 
Hannington cried to him, "/Hold on, Richard, till I 
4 



74 James Hannington. [A.D. 1871. 

come back to you; I am going to climb down a bit fur- 
ther, and see where we can next take the path to.' Old 
Richard, however, was a man who could not stand idle, 
as I found to my cost; for when I had crept down some 
distance I heard the rush of a stone, and a considerable 
boulder shot past my head, within a foot of me. I had 
barely time to dodge as it whizzed by like a cannon- 
ball, accompanied by a volley of small stones, and I 
could feel the draught of air it made. With a shout I 
apprised Richard that I was below, and climbed up like 
a lamplighter, and stood by his side pale and breathless. 
He was quite cool. ' I don't like the look of that old 
rougey place where you have been climbing/ said he. 
Nor do I, thought I to myself, when you are working 
up above. If you are not the coolest old hand I ever 

met- ! However, I said nothing ; but after dinner 

George and I climbed across this ' rougey place/ with 
the assistance of a rope, and determined that we would 
not return until we had cut our own path back. Old 
Richard now gave in. He took back to the village the 
news that he was beaten now. So George and I did it 
by ourselves. Capital fellow is George, and just as 
determined as myself that we should succeed, even if 
the whole cliff came down about our ears." 

There was much triumph when the work was com- 
pleted. An opening day was arranged, and a party of 
twenty visitors descended the dizzy path down to 

" The murmuring surge 
That on the unnumbered idle pebbles chafes," 

and were introduced to the wonders of the new-found 
caves. 

The following entry appears opposite January 1, 187 1: 

"Received the Holy Communion with great misgiv- 
ings. Reflected upon the manner in which I had spent 



^Et. 23.] A Narrow Escape. 75 

the past year, and made resolutions, which, alas ! soon 
failed." 

A day or two later he was almost drowned while skat- 
ing. The same evening, however, he went to a Devon- 
shire farmer's party, which he thus describes : " I am 
going to 'see Christmas,' which is Devonian for 'I am 
going to a party.' We arrived at 6 p.m., when a hot sup- 
per was ready — three hot roast joints, etc.; after which, 
games, dancing, and the like went on till midnight, when 
there was another hot supper as substantially provided 
as the first. Then cards commenced till 8 a.m., when 
there was a hot breakfast." Hannington does not say 
whether he saw this party out, but apparently it is not 
uncommon on such occasions for guests to remain even 
until noon, when they wind up the festivities with a final 
dinner. The habits of our beef-and-ale-consuming fore- 
fathers still linger in hospitable Devonshire. 

A week later Hannington found himself in nearly as 
awkward a position as that of the elderly gentleman 
who, while probing the clefts of the rocks for anemones 
at low tide, was seized by the finger and held fast in the 
tenacious grip of a huge crustacean. Tradition says 
that he was drowned. The same fate might easily have 
befallen our adventurous explorer of caves. He says : 
"On the 12th of January I asked Morrell and George 
Scriven to join in an excursion to a cave we called 'The 
Eyes,' two small holes just large enough to creep through, 
which penetrated a headland. While there, we discov- 
ered below water mark a hole which seemed to pene- 
trate some distance ; so, with no little squeezing and 
pushing, I wound my way in, and found myself in a large 
hollow chamber with no other outlet than the one I had 
entered by. It would have been a dreadful place in 
which to be caught by the tide. The water gradually 



*j6 James Hannington. [A.D. 1871. 

rising in the utter darkness would drown one like a 
rat in a trap. I explained all this melodramatically to 
my companions outside till they grew quite impatient. 
' Well, come out then,' said Morrell, ' for the tide is fast 
coming up, and we shall have a job to return.' So I 
crawled down to the entrance and essayed to come out 
head first. I soon stuck fast, and after great squeezing 
and squirming, barely managed to get back again inside. 
Next I tried to get out as I came in, and so worked my 
way down feet first. It was no go, I was again jammed 
tight. My two friends then got hold of my legs, and 
pulled and pulled till I thought my legs and body would 
part company. Matters really began to look serious. I 
was bruised and strained a good deal, and escape seemed 
impossible. And now the full horror of the situation 
flashed across us all. My mocking words were actually 
to be realized ! I said in the best voice I could that I 
must say good-b)^; but if ever I passed a dreadful mo- 
ment it was that one. The tide was creeping up slowly 
but surely. Applying all their 'strength they pushed 
me back into the entrance that I might make one more 
effort head first. Then it suddenly occurred to us all 
that I might try without my clothes. No sooner said 
than done; and after a good scraping I soon stood once 
more by their side. But it was a narrow escape ! " 

Nothing daunted by this adventure, Morrell and he 
set themselves to conquer " the champion climb amongst 
the natives." Twice they were defeated. It seemed to 
them that "no mortal man could go up." The third 
time they were successful, scaled the dizzy height, and 
" were made free of the cliffs." 

Hannington kept the next two terms at St. Mary Hall. 
He was now twenty-three, but the boyish spirit was not 
in the least abated. Vide the following : 



Mt. 23.] Trip to Norway. jj 

" April 2$th. — For a bet I wheeled Captain Way up 
the High Street in a wheelbarrow, and turned him out 
opposite the Angel Hotel." 

The Easter Vacation was spent in a yachting trip with 
his own people. They all had a pleasant time on the 
bright waters of the south coast. Whenever there was 
a bit of rough work to be done, James always undertook 
it. " Now, men," he was wont to say, " you remember 
me up the Rhine. No putting back to-day, mind ! " 
On several occasions, while the rest of the party went 
by rail to avoid some stormy foreland, he took charge of 
the yacht; never better pleased than when a real stiff sea 
had to be encountered, or a difficulty overcome. As he 
was not in good health, he next took advantage of doc- 
tor's advice to make a yachting voyage to Norway. 
There he made the most of his time, appreciatively 
seizing upon all strange ways, quaint sayings, and queer 
surroundings, and making himself very popular with the 
Norwegians, whether pigge, postboy, or boatman. 

One story we may quote from his diary : " The land- 
lord at Gudvangen, Herr S., is quite a character. He 
dances round one, and his long hair flies about in a most 
ludicrous way. ' He shall sit up all night if he shall 
make you comfortable'; and to commence adding to 
your comfort he pats you on the back. Then he is full 
of bitter remorse because you tell him that the maid 
(pigge) will grease your boot-laces. * He shall send her 
away ; he shall do it himself ; it shall break his heart if 
you are not comfortable.' Herr S. speaks good English, 
but he likes to add to his vocabulary. Some one said 
that tne Germans were fond of guzzling beer. The con- 
versation dropped, but not the word. It dwelt in Herr 
S.'s mind. The next morning we were at the river 



78 James Hannington. [A.D. 1871. 

Herr S. expressed a thousand regrets that it was so 
clear. Said he : 'If only you could get a little guzzling 
water you shall catch fish.' We found that he thought 
that ' guzzling ' meant thick / " 

On July 18th he was back once more at Martinhoe ; 
reading, cliff-climbing, and botanizing — chiefly, I im- 
agine, the two latter. His zeal for exploring the wave- 
worn nooks of the perilous coast had infected the others. 
Parties were constantly made up to reach some new cave 
or test the practicability of some hitherto impossible 
track. Hannington never tired of describing these ad- 
ventures. On one occasion they were creeping along a 
narrow ledge of rock overhanging a " vasty deep," when 
they came to a place where the ledge turned at right 
angles, and was, moreover, blocked by a mass of jutting 
rock. A long stride over the obstacle is required. He 
writes : "As I knew the place best, I stepped on first, 
and then began to help the others across. All got over 

safely till it came to R 's turn. I was sitting on the 

ledge, and held out my hand to him. He somehow 
missed the hand, slipped, and lost his balance. The 
fearful look of terror that flashed over his face, accom- 
panied by a low moan and gasp of despair, I shall not 
easily forget. I dashed at him, caught him by the arm, 
and, gripping the rock with one hand, held him for a 
moment dangling in the air. Fortunately, George was 
at hand, and seized my wrist, otherwise we must, both 
of us, have gone over and been lost. Together we 
hauled him up, and I soon had the satisfaction of hear- 
ing him say, as he shook me by the hand: ' Thank you 
for my life ! ' I, however, was myself quite as much in- 
debted to George." Good Mr. Scriven did not half like 
these perilous freaks. But, while the mania lasted, there 
was no keeping his " pups " off the cliffs. To use his 



JEt. 23.] His " Dearest, Sweetest Mother" 79 

favorite expression, they were "like moths buzzing 
round a candle." 

" Aug. $t/i. — Helped to put new east window in the 
church. I had recommended Baillie, and had obtained 
the design." 

"Aug. 26th. — Took Lord Tenterden, Mr. Justice Pol- 
lock, and some others to see the caves. They expressed 
the greatest astonishment at the engineering of the path, 
and the magnificence of the caves." 

Next occurs the following : 

" I suggested to Mr. Scriven that I should come to 
him at once as his curate, and read for my Degree after 
wards." 

To this he adds in a note written long after : "Very 
fortunately the Bishop would not consent to ordain me 
until I had taken my Degree." 

Fortunately, indeed ! In this, as in other things, we 
can trace the good Hand of his God upon him. 

And now an event took place which moved him to the 
centre of his being. The controlling love of his life had 
been that of his mother. The boyish tenderness for his 
" dearest, sweetest mother," had not been impaired by 
time. No other affection had ever usurped his heart. 
He was the least susceptible of men to the charms of 
women. No Adonis could have seemed more wholly 
unassailable by what is called love. His friends and 
companions were mainly, and, indeed, almost exclusive- 
ly, of his own sex. Not that he was unpopular with 
women : far from it. But in whatever light they may 
have regarded him, in his eyes they were but weaker 
men, to be treated with chivalrous consideration, but 
otherwise as companions — nothing more. His whole 
love was given to his mother. She, on her part, fully 



So James Hannington. [A.D. 1871—72, 

reciprocated his affection, and found an ever fresh de- 
light in the devotion of her favorite son. Mrs. Han- 
nington had, for some time, been seriously ill. On the 
30th of September of this year, 1871, her doctor pro- 
nounced that there was little or no hope of her recovery. 
James was in an agony of mind ; he could not believe 
that such grief was in store for him. In a few days the 
crisis seemed to pass, and his mother, to his intense re- 
lief, rallied. He determined, notwithstanding this, to 
remain by her side instead of returning to Oxford to 
keep Term. As the days dragged wearily by, matters 
did not improve. It was evident that his mother was 
sinking. She was very happy and peaceful. As for 
James, he wrote : "We had but a melancholy Christmas 
Day, and mournfully closed the year. The doctor gives 
my mother no hope, and yet there seems to be hope. I 
cannot but hope — I must hope." 

He found time, in the midst of this racking anxiety, 
to run up to Oxford, at the urgent request of his friends 
there, to settle a quarrel which had occurred in the St. 
Mary Hall Boat Club. But, having set matters straight, 
and prevailed upon the then Captain to resign, he at 
once returned to Hurst. On February 14th his mother 
submitted to the operation of tapping. She bore it with 
a patient resignation which was deeply touching to her 
husband and children. She got, however, very little 
relief. On the 24th, James writes : " Very, very ill." 
On the 26th : " I went in to her at eight a.m., and at 
once saw that the end could not be far off. She was 
almost unconscious. She kept dozing and rousing, and 
commencing sentences. Especially she would repeat 
again and again : ' I will take the stony heart out of 
their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh. I will 
take — I will take the stony heart away — away.' " 



iEt. 24.] His Mother s Death. 8 1 

So the bright, active, brave spirit, which in so many 
points resembled that of her favorite son, went down, 
step by step, to the brink of the still river ; and her son 
would hardly let her go — would have held her, but could 
not. About three o'clock in the afternoon she ceased 
her broken utterances ; at about five o'clock her arms, 
which had gently swayed to and fro, moved no longer, 
and at seven she died in the presence of all her children. 
After the last reverent look, the others moved sadly 
away. As for James, he fell on her face, and kissed her, 
and cried to her, as though she could still hear him. 
Scarce knowing what he said, he besought her again 
and again to come back to him — not to leave him when 
he most wanted her. By and by came the faithful old 
nurse, and, with gentle compulsion, led him away. 

Mrs. Hannington had always felt an almost morbid 
dread lest she should be buried before life was actually 
extinct. She had mentioned this to her son, and he had 
promised that he would assure himself that death had 
taken place before the interment. This explains the 
following note : " I promised my mother to see her six 
times after she was dead. I saw her seven, and there 
could not be the slightest doubt that she was gone." 

Indeed, it was almost impossible to tear him away 
from her bedside. He would sit there in the silent 
gloom, hour after hour, plunged in grief that refused to 
be comforted. Or he would be found kneeling by that 
figure so mysterious and still beneath its enveloping 
sheet. They had to coax and almost to compel him 
from the presence of the dead in order that he might 
take rest or meals. On Saturday, March 20th, the fu- 
neral took place in the Parish Church of Hurtspierpoint, 
" Hundreds attended, coming from miles round." 

So the desire of his eyes was taken away at a stroke. 



82 James Hammigton. [A.D. 1872 — 73. 

It is clear to us now why this should have been. His 
heart was to be emptied that it might be filled with that 
only love which does not fade, and which cannot be 
taken away. Had James Hannington written an epitaph 
upon his mother's tomb, it would have been couched in 
some such terms as that most touching inscription in a 
Paris cemetery — "Dors enfiaix, O ma mere; ton fils fobeira 
toujours." Her memory always exercised over him a 
hallowing influence. Nevertheless, it was, perhaps, need- 
ful for him that the human voice should speak no more 
words of advice and sympathy, that he might be taught 
to listen for the sound of that " still, small voice " which 
whispers to those who have ears to hear : " This is the 
way, walk thou in it." 

In May, 1872, Hannington successfully passed his 
" Moderations," and resided for some time in the house 
of Mr. Morfill, of Oriel, with whom he decided to read 
for his next Examination. After a short vacation he 
continued his studies with Mr. Rumsey, and determined 
that he would put an end to trifling, and pass the final 
examination for his Degree as soon as possible. • 

The following entry occurs for October 18th : — "Fa- 
ther, Bessie, and Blanche Gould came to stop at Oxford 
a few days. Took them to hear Canon Liddon, who 
preached a magnificent sermon." A few days later a 
letter appeared on his breakfast-table, in which his 
father announced his intention of marrying again, and 
that the latter lady had consented to become his wife. 
This second marriage turned out very happily, and by 
and by Hannington, no doubt, understood that it was 
better thus than that his father should be left to brood 
over his grief in a house from which .his children had 
flown to make homes for themselves. But coming so 
soon after the death of his mother, to whom he knew 



JEt. 24, 25.] Made a B.A. 83 

that his father had been tenderly attached, it is not to 
be wondered at if, at first, the new alliance troubled 
him, or that his diary should record his feelings in the 
words, " I am terribly cut up and cast down." 

He set to work, however, in good earnest to bring to 
a close his already too prolonged University course, 
and, early in December, passed with credit the first part 
of " Greats." 

On May 15th, 1873, he rowed for the last time in the 
" eight." " Bumped Keble." " Should have caught Ex- 
eter, but No. 3 caught a crab instead." Apparently the 
crew rather fell to pieces towards the end of the week, 
for the next entry runs : " Of all atrocious horrors, this 
is the most disgusting. We have been re-bumped by 
Keble ! " 

"May 2%th. — Lunched at Morfill's. 3 p.m., garden 
party at Morrell's. 9 p.m., ball at Masonic Hall, given 
by Ashmead-Bartlett." And so on through a list of 
" Commemoration " festivities. 

On June 12th Hannington took his B.A. Degree. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE TURNING-POINT. — ORDINATION. — THE GREAT CHANGE. 

(1873—74.) 

" I have been from my childhood alway of a Tumorous and 
stormy nature." Luther. 

" We took sweet counsel together, and walked in the house of 
God as friends." Ps. lv. 14. 

" O most sweet Lord Jesus, by Thy holy Infancy, Youth, Bap- 
tism, Fasting, scourges, buffets, thorny crown, — Deliver us." 

St. Anselm. 

"About this time," Hannington writes, "a different 
tone began to steal over me insensibly. I prayed more." 

About this time also a certain friend of his who had 
recently received Holy Orders, and who was serving as 
Curate in a country parish in Surrey, began to think of 
him. In the solitude of his lodgings, when the day's 
work was done, and he was alone with his own thoughts, 
his mind would rest lovingly upon old college friend- 
ships. He thought of James Hannington — gay, impetu- 
ous, friendly, fun-loving Jim — and gradually it was laid 
upon his heart to pray for him. Why, he could not tell ; 
but the burden of that other soul seemed to press upon 
him more heavily day by day. He had not had much 
experience in dealing with souls; he had but a short 
time before learned the meaning of "effectual, fervent 
prayer "; he would have been called "a babe" by St. 
Paul; not yet even a " young man," much less " a father." 
But his life had been transformed within him, and filled 
(84) 



,Et. 25.] An Old Pair of Skates. 85 

with a new and most radiant joy. He knew himself re- 
deemed, and in union with the Father of Spirits with 
whom is no changeableness, neither shadow of turning. 
He could not now have lived over again that old college 
life of his as once he had been content to live it. He 
thought of many friends. To some he spoke, and tried 
to make them partakers with him of his new-found 
benefit. For some he sought to pray, but for none can 
he ever remember to have prayed with such a distinct 
sense that he must pray as for James Hannington. I 
find the following entry in Hannington's diary : 

"July i5t/i- — opened a correspondence with me 

to-day, which I speak of as delightful ; it led to my con- 
version." 

Young men are not, as a rule, good correspondents, 
and between these twain no letter had passed for nearly 
two years. Communication was reopened in the follow- 
ing manner. A pair of skates was the ostensible cause. 
The Curate found them, with other rubbish, in a box full 
of odds and ends, and, holding them in his hand, remem- 
bered that they had belonged to Hannington, with whom, 
after the manner of chums, he had held many things in 
common. Then and there he sat down and wrote to 
Hurstpierpoint, asking his friend in what quarter of the 
world he might be found, and whither he would wish 
those same skates to be sent. The letter was forwarded to 
Martinhoe. In due time came a kindly response. " Glad 
to hear from you again. Never mind the skates ; keep 
them, or throw them away — anything you like ; but tell 
me about yourself," and so on. Then followed the news 
that he was meditating ordination ; was not sure that he 
was as fit as he ought to be, with more to the same effect, 
all written lightly enough, but with a certain something 



86 James Hannington. [A.D. 1873, 

of seriousness which induced the Curate to think that 
the opportunity he had been seeking might have, per- 
chance, arrived. 

He resolved to avail himself of the opening thus given, 
though not without a certain dread. He was naturally 
loth to lose the friendship of one for whom he enter- 
tained a warm affection. He remembered Hannington's 
openly expressed dislike of religious enthusiasm, and 
his contempt for all canting protestations of superior 
piety. It was not without a mental struggle that he de- 
termined to lay bare his own heart to an eye only too 
probably unsympathetic. It seemed likely that this let- 
ter of his might open a wide gulf between them. Still, 
if friendship was to be lost, it should be at least well 
lost. So he reasoned, and, with prayer for guidance, 
just wrote a simple, unvarnished account of his own 
spiritual experience ; tried to explain how it had come 
to pass that he was not as formerly ; spoke of the power 
of the love of Christ to transform the life of a man, and 
draw out all its latent possibilities ; and finally urged 
him, as he loved his own soul, to make a definite surren- 
der of himself to the Saviour of the world, and join the 
society of His disciples. This done, the Curate walked, 
not without misgivings as to the wisdom of the course 
he had adopted, to the miscellaneous little shop which 
did duty in the village as drapery and grocery store, 
post-office, and what not, and dropped his letter into the 
box. 

For thirteen months no answer was returned. Prayer 
was made without ceasing, and still under the sense of a 
burden imposed, but there was no response. The Curate 
concluded that his letter had been consigned to the ob- 
livion of the waste-paper basket. 

He was, however, wrong. During those months events 



&t. 26.] A Repulse. 87 

were happening at Martinhoe. The Hand of God was 
not idle, and the seed was germinating. 

" Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it : 
Thou greatly enrichest it ; 
The river of God is full of water ; 

Thou providest corn, when Thou hast so prepared the earth ; 
Thou waterest her furrows abundantly; 
Thou settlest the ridges thereof: 
Thou makest it soft with showers ; 
Thou blessest the springing thereof: 
Thou crownest the year with Thy gladness." — Ps. Ixv. 

But seed, whether sown in the heart of a man or in the 
furrows of the field, must be allowed time to develop 
and strike root. The husbandman must not be impa- 
tient, but wait for the " crown of the year." 

Seed had been sown in Hannington's heart which was 
not destined to perish ; but that heart still needed fur- 
ther preparation for its upspringing. We may compare 
the events that followed, with their wholesome lacera- 
tion of his pride, to the harrow in the Hand of his God. 

On September 8th he writes : " The Bishop has put 
the exam, a week earlier, which will, no doubt, entirely 
undo me, as I have left my Prayer-Book for the last 
fortnight's reading." He had yet, then, to learn that 
" cramming," however permissible in other cases, should 
have no place in an examination for such a charge as 
that. He goes on to record : 

" Sept. 17th. — Exeter ; in uncomfortable lodgings. Did 
a paper at 9.30 ; fairly well, n.30, another paper ; did 
well. 1.30, dined with the Bishop. 5.30, another paper. 
8 p.m., chapel, with a sermon from the Bishop. 

" i8t/i. — Over-read last night. Passed a sleepless 
night ; woke exceedingly unwell. Three more papers, 
one of which was the Prayer-Book. Unable to do any- 



88 James Hamii?igton. [A.D. 1873. 

thing ; had been disappointed of a week's reading, and 
was also very ill. 

" 19th. — Another bad night. Three more papers ; and 
on the 20th was, as I thought, unkindly dismissed by the 
Bishop — ' I am sorry to say that your paper on the Prayer- 
Book is insufficient. If you go down to Mr. Percival, he 
will tell you all about it. Good-morning.' I was so con- 
founded that I was nearly overwhelmed with despair. 
Mrs. Dovell told me afterwards that she thought I should 
have died or gone off my head." 

Hannington told me, some time after, that the shame 
and confusion of his failure came upon him at first as a 
sickening blow. He thought that he should never raise 
his head again. Then, as he thought of his own unwis- 
dom and of the Bishop's hard manner towards him, he 
gave way to an ungovernable burst of passion. He was 
filled will furious madness, partly against himself, and 
partly at the recollection of what seemed like an insult 
inflicted on him. He was suffering himself to be swept 
along upon the full tide of this stormy mood, when sud- 
denly the thought struck him, as though he heard spoken 
words of warning, " If you ca?i give way like this, are you 
fit to offer yourself as a minister of Christ ? " 

He was sobered in an instant. It seemed to him that 
his defeat had been ordered in the providence of God. 
He resolved to accept it humbly, and to strive to ap- 
prove himself a more worthy candidate upon another 
occasion. 

Hannington now went back to Oxford, in order that 
he might read with Mr. Morfill. The following sad oc- 
currence impressed him : " Loyd, one of our men, nephew 

to Lord , cut his throat last night. This has 

throwr a gloom over the place. He is just alive. He 



<Et. 26.] pted to Drazv Back. 89 

did it from despair about the schools; but his mind was 
evidently affected. 

He wrote, about this time : u How I dread ordination ! 

:Id willingly draw back ; but when I am tempted to 

do so I hear ringing in my ears, ' Whoso putteth his hand 

to the plow, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom 

of God.' What am I to do ? Whi 

When it is remembered that Hannington was pos- 
sessed of a sufficient competency, and that at this time 
he had as large an income as ever in his life, it will be 
plain that he was not influenced in his decision to per- 
re by any monetary considerations. 

The temptation to lead the independent life of a pri- 
vate gentleman, and to occupy himself with his fav:ri:e 
scientific pursuits, must have been very strong. Many 
young men in his position would have easily succumbed 
to it. As an explorer, or in independent research into 
the vast realm of natural history, he might easily have 
distinguished himself, and satisfied any thirst of ambi- 
tion which might p : ssess him. He was his own master. 
The whole world was open before him; and he was one 
who would never have let time drag heavily, or have 
fc een at a loss for employment and interest. 

It is characteristic of the man that he should have 
shaken this temptation from him. and, with steady de- 
termination, faced what he now dreaded with an almost 
morbid fear. His conscience would not have absolved 
him else. "Whoso putteth his hand to the plow, and 
looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God." Those 
words held him fast to his purpose* 

The end of 1S73 found Hannington back at Martin- 
hoe, among the Devon farmers. He went to one of 
those parties described before, and danced the old year 
out. Having performed this rite, he returned to Oxford, 



go James Hannington, [A.D. 1874. 

where he took part in a series of gaieties, and then 
started for Exeter, to face once more the Bishop's Chap- 
lain and his papers. 

He was terribly nervous and agitated; could not sleep 
at all that first night. He faced his papers next morn- 
ing in such a frame of mind that it was impossible he 
could do his best. He was one of those men for whom 
an examination has real terrors. What he knew best 
and most accurately, on such occasions fled out of his 
mind, and left him in a state of helpless blankness. 

There are some men who never show their powers so 
well as across a green-baize table-cloth, and confronted 
by two examiners. They pass everything with ease and 
credit, and afterwards disappoint the expectations of 
their friends. There are others who, though hopelessly 
stumbled under such circumstances, and able to bring 
to the front nothing that they know, yet leave their mark 
upon the world. Hannington was one of the latter sort. 

On the present occasion he was thoroughly well pre- 
pared in his various subjects; but by the time the exam- 
ination drew to a close he had worked himself into such 
a state of nervous excitement, that it was almost impos- 
sible for him to do himself credit. 

On the fourth day of the examination he was sum- 
moned into the presence of the Bishop. He was told 
that his paper showed evidence of hard and conscien- 
tious reading, but that his matter had been badly han- 
dled (how could it be otherwise, poor fellow, when his 
ideas were utterly muddled and gone astray !) ; and, in 
fine, that he must remain a deacon for two years, and 
come up for an intermediary examination. With this 
information, and — "You've got fine legs, I see: mind 
that you run about your parish. Good-morning" — he 
was dismissed. 



JEt. 20.J Ordination. 91 

The following day the Ordination took place in the 
Cathedral. 

Through the silent aisles sounds the Archdeacon's 
voice — 

"Reverend Father in God, I prese?it unto you these persons 
present to be admitted Deacons." 

Then, after the heart-stirring petitions of the Litany, 
the Bishop is heard to ask : 

" Do you trust that you are inwardly moved by the Holy 
Ghost to take upon you this office and ministration, to serve 
God for the promoting of His Glory, and the edifying of His 
people ? " 

A moment's silence, and then from each candidate the 
answer — 

"I trust so" 

And there can be little doubt that Hannington made 
this answer with all sincerity, according to the light he 
then possessed. That Ordination was to him very awful, 
and full of solemnity. Behind Bishop and officiating 
clergy, he saw One to whose awful Majesty he had con- 
secrated the service of his life. 

" So," said he to himself, as he left the Cathedral, " I 
am Ordained, and the world has to be crucified in me. 
O for God's Holy Spirit ! " 

The next day he met the Principal in the Quadrangle 
of St. Mary Hall. " He, having known me in my wildest 
and noisiest times, said, in his dry way, ' I am not certain 
whether you are to be congratulated or not.' " 

On the Sunday following, Hannington assisted in the 
Services at Hurst, and preached his first sermon, which 
he pronounces — probably not without reason — to have 
been " feeble, in fact, not quite sound." In spite of the 
congratulations of his friends, he tore it up. 



9 2 



James Hannington. 



[A.D. 1874. 



The next Sunday he commenced his duty^is Curate of 
Trentishoe. The people crowded into the little church 
to see their old friend in his new garb. Alas ! he had 
not yet much to the purpose to say to them. Services 
in those parts were conducted in a primitive manner 
enough. Take the following example : — " I went over 
to Parracombe. 

" Clerk : ' We are going to have service in the school- 
room this evening, sir. We like it better.' 




curate's rooms at martinhoe. 

" ' Oh ; well, what does Mr. Leakey do ? ' 
" ' Why, sir, he reads, prays extempore, and expounds. 
He don't preach no sermon, and don't wear no gown.' 

" I, dreadfully nervous : ' I think I will read the Even- 
ing Service, Jones. Is there a Bible ? ' 

"'No, sir, there ain't; he do bring his own with him.' 
" More nervous than ever, I gave out a hymn. Then, 
while they were singing it, in came a surplice, which I 
put on. Next a lamp, which was most acceptable. 

" I then said I would read the Litany ; so I com- 
menced. Then a Bible was found and thrust on to the 



JEt. 26.] A Country Curate at Home. 93 

table, so I was able to read a Lesson. Then came the 
most trying ordeal. The table was quite low. I had 
not my glasses, and did not like to hold my sermon-case 
up before me, so I had to lean on my elbows, stick my 
legs out behind me, and thus read painfully through my 
paper. Moral : ' Learn to preach and pray without 
book.' " 

Ah, me ! Was there ever such a Curate before or 
since ! Let us hear him describe himself : 

" Here I am, a lone man, living in a singularly out-of- 
the-way place, Curate of Martinhoe and Trentishoe ; 
clad in a pair of Bedford-cord knee-breeches of a yel- 
low color, continued below with yellow Sussex gaiters 
('spats') with brass buttons. Below these a stout pair 
of nail boots, four inches across the soles, and weighing 
fully four pounds. My upper garment, an all-round short 
jerkin of black cloth, underneath which an ecclesiastical 
waistcoat, buttoning up at the side. N.B. — The two 
latter articles of clothing I always wear. I am seated 
in as pleasant a room as you would wish to see. Wilton 
carpet, old china, piano, arm-chairs, numberless pictures, 
and large candelabras. Only there is no fire, and it is 
very cold — but alas ! my chimney smokes." 

That last item is not to be wondered at, as the cottage 
in which he took up his abode was close under a steep 
hill, and a strong down draught was almost inevitable. 

Paying a visit to a parish in Essex where he had to 
respect the conventionalities and don the usual clerical 
habiliments, he says : " I found it a great burden going 
about in black clothes and top hat ! I never could stop 
in such a place !" 

I find just here a note of his first missionary meeting 
which is interesting in view of his future life : 



94 James Hannington. [A.D. 1874. 

"J u ty 3otA. — I went to my first missionary meeting at 
Parracombe. I was made to speak, much against my 
will, as I know nothing about the subject, and take little 
interest in it. There was an old Colonel Simpson, who 
spoke after me, and gave me such an indirect dressing, 
that I made up my mind never in future to speak on any 
subject until I knew something about it." 

The rough work of a Devonshire parish exactly suited 
Hannington's temperament. Such adventures as the 
following were quite to his mind : 

"As I had ridden my pony more than fifty miles last 
week, and had a hard ride yesterday, I determined, in- 
stead of going round by the road, to cross Exmoor, to 
take duty at Challacombe. When I got on to the moor 
a dense fog came on, and I soon lost my way. I gal- 
loped up hill and down in mist and rain from nine till 
eleven, which was the hour of Church Service, and then 
was still as much lost as ever. I determined to give up 
church, throw the reins on the pony's neck, and let him 
take me back home. Presently I struck a track which 
promised at least to lead somewhere, so once more clap- 
ping spurs to my pony, I galloped along, and soon came to 
a gate which led me off the moor. This track brought us 
to a farmhouse, and there a man volunteered to accom- 
pany me, ' for,' said he, ' you will lose yourself again if 
I don't.' I arrived at church, and found the people 
sitting patiently in the pews, discussing with one an- 
other whether I would turn up. They all thought I was 
lost. I whispered to the clerk how it had happened. 
*Iss,' said he in loud tones, 'we reckoned you was lost; 
but now you are here, go and put on your surples, and 
be short, for we all want to get back to dinner.' Drip- 
ping wet as I was, I put on the surplice over all, and 



JEt. 26.] A Messenger without a Message. 95 

gave them a shortened service. In the afternoon I got 
back in time for church at Martinhoe." 

So he spent his time among those scattered hamlets, 
doing the best he knew; and doing it with all his heart. 
Riding on his rough Exmoor pony with his Prayer-Book 
in one pocket of his shooting-jacket, and medicines for 
some sick person in another. Welcomed everywhere. 
Admired by the young men and beloved by the aged, 
to whom he was as a son. They forgot that he had 
come among them as a stranger, and treated him as 
though he were a born son of the soil. 

The life was entirely after his own heart, and yet he 
was not happy. The people were content with him, but 
he was not content with his own ministrations to them. 
He was parson, doctor, family friend, all in one. He 
felt that he could be of some use to the poor and needy. 
He sat up long nights with the sick and dying. His 
purse was always at the command of those in want. 
He could and did sometimes preach vehement sermons 
against prevalent vices, such as immorality, and excessive 
drinking at "wakes" and feasts, but he could not preach 
the "Word of Life." As he visited the sick and dying, 
or " read Prayers " in bald-looking, uncared-for country 
churches, and held up his manuscript sermon to his eyes 
in presence of sleepy audiences of tired laboring folk, 
he realized that ever more keenly. He was not giving 
them the Word of Life. How could he, when he did not 
himself possess the secret of that Life ! The burden of 
his great responsibility weighed upon him more heavily 
every day. He began to understand, as he had never 
understood before, that he was not right with God. 
God's ordained Messenger with no Message to deliver — 
that was his position. A position, to his transparently- 



g6 James Hannington. [A.D. 1874. 

honest soul altogether insupportable. He began to be 
in great distress. 

Some thirteen months had passed since that letter 
bearing the post-mark of a Surrey village had reached 
him. It had not been answered. The friend who wrote 
that letter had concluded it burnt, perhaps with indig- 
nation, or, maybe, with scornful contempt. How could 
he know that it had been treasured up, read, and re-read, 
and that it would prove to be the turning-point of a life ! 

But Hannington's own words will best describe the 
phase of his mind during this important period of his 
career : 

" And now," he says, " comes a tale of surpassing in- 
terest to me. More than a year ago wrote me a 

letter. I did not answer it, although the impression it 
made never left me. Time passed on, and I knew that 
I was not right. I sought and sought most earnestly, 
at times being in terrible bondage of spirit, and doubts, 
and fears. I began to despair of ever coming to the 
knowledge of the Truth. At length I again wrote to 

, and begged him to come and pay me a visit. Most 

earnestly did I pray that he might come and bring me 
light, as Ananias did to St. Paul." 

This letter ran as follows : 

" My dear Colonel,* — Can you come and see me ? 
Even a short visit. I am in much distress of soul and 
want your advice. I am so sorry that I did not answer 
your last letter. It was not, I assure you, through want 
of interest in its contents. It has never been off my 
table during the past year, and I have read it again and 
again. Do come and see me if you can. 

"Yours, James Hannington." 

* A nickname by which his friend was known at college. 



JEt. 26.] Crying for the Light. 97 

Alas ! his friend was not master of his own time. He 
could not be spared from his work at the busiest time 
of the year to make a journey into distant Devonshire. 
He was strangely moved by this marvellous response to 
his prayers. He now understood how it was that the 
burden of that soul had never ceased to press upon him 
during all that time. He at once did what he was able. 
He wrote what he thought might be helpful to one in 
spiritual darkness and distress ; he invited Hannington 
to come and see him ; and laying his hand upon the only 
suitable book which he then happened to have upon his 
writing-table, sent it with the letter to Martinhoe. This 
book was " Grace and Truth," by the late Dr. Mackay, 
of Hull. • A book which, if somewhat crude and dog- 
matic in its statements, and apt thereby to repel, has at 
least the merit of stating its facts in a clear and forcible 
manner. The index finger may be a rude one, but it 
points plainly and emphatically where lies that narrow 
path which leads through the Cross of Jesus to eter- 
nal life. 

Hannington was dreadfully disappointed. He writes: 

" I was in despair. It seemed to sound my death- 
knell. I thought the Lord would not answer me." 

He sent the following to his friend: 

"My dear Colonel, — Many thanks for thinking of 
me. I cannot possibly come to you. I wish that I 
could; and that for many reasons: one is that darkness, 
coldness, and barrenness have seized hold upon me, and 
I cannot shake them off. I am, I don't know in what 
state, unless I am being bound by the devil hand and 
foot. But I mean to fight him desperately hard, if only 
I am helped. I cannot do it alone. Oh, for strength to 
rise and triumph ! — Yours very affectionately, 

"James Hannington." 
5 



98 James Hannington. [A.D. 1874. 

Shortly after came the following, in reply to another 
letter : 

" My dear Colonel, — I am so much obliged to you 
for remembering me. I can assure you that I appreciate 
it deeply. There are few to whom one seems united in 
a bond closer than that of relationship; at least, I know 
very few to whom I can really open my heart as I can 

to you I feel depressed at the fact that, when I 

would do good, evil is present with me. I have no faith, 
I can lay hold of nothing. I cannot believe that I can 
ever be saved; and I feel that I have no right to preach 
to others. I try to feel that God willeth not the death 
of a sinner, but no, I can preach it, and feel it for other 
persons, not for myself. How few rays of light seem to 
shine upon me ! Will the sun ever break through the 
clouds so that I shall be able to say, * Jesus is mine and 
I am His'? I shall try and visit you if I can. Very 
many thanks for the book; I will read it shortly. 
" Yours very affectionately, 

"James Hannington." 

As Hannington could not obtain an interview with 
his friend, he turned to the book which he had sent. 
In his private diary he writes : 

" I determined to read every word of the book. So I 
began with the preface. Here I soon perceived that the 
book was unscholarly, for the argument is built upon 
Matt. xv. 27, 'Truth, Lord,' which the author treats 
as a\rjdeia y instead of the exclamation vai. This was 
enough for me. I therefore threw the book away and 
refused to read it." 

We may observe here that Hannington was wrong. 
Dr. Mackay does not make the mistake with which he 
hastily charged him. It might be possible for a reader 



JEt. 27.] Criticism on " Grace and Truth." 99 

to suppose that he confuses the two words because he 
does not take sufficient care to make it clear that the 
word rendered "Truth" in Matt. xv. 27, is not the same 
word as "Truth " in the passage " Grace and Truth." He 
certainly does not take proper care to guard the reader 
against the supposition that no play upon the words is 
intended. But it cannot be fairly urged that he has per- 
petrated in his preface a piece of palpable and gratuitous 
ignorance. He apparently intends to deduce from the 
Syrophenician woman's " Truth, Lord," no more than 
an unqualified assent to the statement of Christ with 
regard to her. 

But Hannington was in no mood to have mercy upon 
the book or its author. His heart was sore that he 
could not have his friend. The poor book had to stand 
the kicks. Moreover the blunt dogmatism of its tone, 
effective enough with a certain class of minds, did not 
fall in with his then line of thought. He was evidently 
glad of any excuse to condemn the book and throw it 
aside, on the principle that " any stick is good enough 
to beat a dog with." 

So " Grace and Truth " lay in a corner unread for 
some little while. He shall himself narrate what fol- 
lowed. 

"When I left on the 16th of September for Exeter 
and St. Petherwyn, I spied that old book and said, 

' is sure to ask me if I have read it. I suppose I 

must wade through it'; and so stuffed it into my port- 
manteau. At Petherwyn I took the book out and read 
the first chapter. I disliked it so much that I deter- 
mined never to touch it again. I don't know that I did 
not fling it across the room. I rather think I did. So 
back into my portmanteau it went, and remained until 






ioo James Hannington. [A.D. 1874. 

my visit to Hurst, when I again saw it, and thought 1 

might as well read it, so as to be able to tell about 

it. So once more I took the 'old thing,' and read 
straight on for three chapters or so, until at last I came 
to that called ' Do you feel your sins forgiven ? ' By 
means of this my eyes were opened." 

His anxiety had been great. His search for the " hid- 
den treasure " had been long, continuous, and painful. 
His joy was now correspondingly great. His pent-up 
feelings rushed forth in a torrent of thanksgiving. 
Like a " certain man " of old Jerusalem, who " entered 
into the temple walking and leaping and praising God," 
so he could not contain his gladness within the bounds 
of quietness. He shook off the chains of darkness and 
bounded into the light. He says : 

" I was in bed at the time reading. I sprang out of 
bed and leaped about the room rejoicing and praising 
God that Jesus died for me. From that day to this * I 
have lived under the shadow of His wings in the assur- 
ance of faith that I am His and He is mine." 

And truly it was even so. Yet did he not immediately 
enter into the full assurance of faith. For some time 
after his enlightenment he was, to use his own favorite 
expression, subject to fits of "bondage." His old life 
would assert itself strongly. He could not all at once 
shake off the habits of thought which had become nat- 
ural to him. He had his periods of darkness and light, 
despondency and rejoicing. But he fought a good fight, 
and little by little he made sure his ground, until finally 
he emerged from the mists into the full sunlight of the 
Father's smile. A delightful and altogether helpful lit- 

* This note was written just before his second missionary jour- 
ney to Africa. 



JEt. 27.] / Know that I Believe. 101 

tie tract entitled " Gripping and Slipping " describes 
the precarious state of a soul which has not learned the 
secret of maintaining its grasp upon the Hand of the 
ever-present Christ. Perhaps only they who have had 
some humiliating experience of the "slipping" state 
can fully appreciate the boundless security of him who 
"grips." To the end of his life Hannington refused to 
throw in his lot with those who apparently teach the 
possibility of Peace without Conflict; but when once he 
had grasped that Hand, he followed the leading of the 
Spirit with the unfaltering faith of a little child. There- 
after he went straight forward, nothing wavering, to do 
the duty that lay nearest to him. That he had learned 
the secret of " the overcoming life " could not but be 
recognized by those who watched him closely and 
noticed with wondering thankfulness how the old James 
Hannington was being, day by day, remodelled into a 
new man; the same, and yet another. 

The following letters will throw some light upon his 
state of mind at this time : 

"My dear Colonel, — .... The chief object of my 
letter is to tell you how very useful those two books you 
have given me have been made to me. I have never 
seen so much light as I have the last few days. I know 
now that Jesus Christ died for me, and that He is mine 
and I am His. And all this you are the human means 
of teaching me. Perhaps to-morrow I shall be in doubt 
and despair, but not as I have been before ; for I know 
that I believe, and I can tremblingly exclaim, ' Help Thou 
mine unbelief.' Dear Colonel, what thanks I owe to 
you, and incomparably little with what I owe to God ! " 

" I ought daily to be more thankful to you as the in- 
strument by which I was brought to Christ, and to know 
that He died for me. Unspeakable joy ! " 



102 James Hannington. [A.D. 1874. 

"I have been rejoicing so lately that I fear it may 
come from Satan puffing me up, for I do so little for 
Christ. My prayers and praise are so dead and formal. 
I love the things of this world so much, and Jesus so 
little, that I ought always to be mourning. ' Sorrowful, 
yet always rejoicing,' I know. Yet latterly I have been 
rejoicing, and not sorrowful, although I have so much 
in me about which I ought to lament. Do write and tell 
me am I wrong. Can that peace be false that comes 
from the knowledge of forgiveness of sins through the 
belief that Jesus died for me ? No, never. I feel that 
it cannot, it cannot be false (Tit. i. 2)." 

" How wonderfully I have been led on from one thing 
to another, though at the time imperceptibly ! I speak 
of my choosing the Ministry when I was most unfit for 
it. Then again getting sent back from Exeter, when I 
now see that to have passed the examination then would 
have been the very worst thing that could have hap- 
pened to me. Again, our friendship, which for some time 
had been dormant, renewing itself, and proving so ex- 
traordinarily useful to me ! .... I fear that the tone of 
this letter is shockingly boastful, and one which I am 
not worthy to adopt. You will have to set me back in- 
to a lower seat ! The Lord keep me humble ! How 
much instruction I stand in need of ! Cease not to pray 
for me." 

On the nineteenth of October in this year, 1874, Han- 
nington paid a visit to his correspondent in Surrey. The 
stress of his great anxiety of mind had left its evident 
traces upon him. He was far from well, and tired too 
with his journey. He did not, moreover, find it so easy 
to talk to an old companion and sharer of his jests, as it 
had been to write to him about the secrets of his soul. 
This just at first : 



JEt. 27.] A H amble Disciple. 103 

"Well, Colonel." 

"Well, Jim." 

" How are you, old fellow ? " 

" Glad to see you, dear old man." 

Then some conversation upon general subjects, old 
friends, and old customs. But, by and by, when both 
had settled into their chairs, and looked each other in 
the face, the subject uppermost in their hearts could no 
longer be kept in the background. The barriers of re- 
serve were broken down ; and before long they found 
themselves telling each other without constraint how the 
Lord had dealt with their souls. 

That evening the Curate held a Cottage Lecture in a 
distant part of the parish. Seeing that Hannington was 
worn out and haggard-looking, he tried to persuade him 
to remain at home. He, however, insisted that he should 
be allowed to go. So arm in arm the two sallied forth. 
His friend will not easily forget that walk. As they 
threaded their way among the gravel pits, and crossed 
the mile of rough common and deep and muddy lanes, 
Hannington's conversation was always upon the one 
subject. Having once conquered his shyness, he laid 
bare his heart in the confidence of that hour. 

When they reached the cottage he would not be per- 
suaded to take any part in the service. He had come, 
he said, as a learner ; he would sit among the audience. 
So he quietly waited, while his friend went among the 
adjoining cottages to gather in some laggards, and then 
took his place, somewhere in a corner, among the group 
of poor folk who crowded the little room. He was still, 
in his own estimation, the humblest of disciples. 

I find the following note about this in his diary : 

"Evening. — To my great astonishment took a 



104 James Hannington. [A.D. 1874. 

Cottage Lecture. I feared that I never could do a thing 
of that sort." 

His friend now urged him strongly to try, at least 
when he was addressing small audiences of country 
people in Devonshire, to preach extempore. Hitherto 
he had been bound entirely and rigidly to his paper. 
Even in his private devotions he seldom ventured be- 
yond his book of prayers. To his marked energy and 
decision of character he united depreciation of himself 
and distrust of his own motives to a singular degree. 
This made the study of his religious life peculiarly in- 
teresting. Every step made toward spiritual liberty was 
the result of close and unsparing self-examination. He 
would remorselessly probe his feelings and every rami- 
fication of them before he would permit himself indul- 
gence in any new ''liberty." Never did any apply the 
scalpel and dissecting-knife more ruthlessly to his own 
"vile body" than did James Hannington. 

It was not long, however, before he saw plainly that it 
was his duty to tell people what he knew, as the Lord 
had told himself — and to tell it as simply as possible ; 
hence he soon decided to discard the manuscript ser- 
mon, and adopt the practice of taking his thoughts only 
into the pulpit, in the form of notes, leaving the words 
that were to clothe them to the inspiration of the mo- 
ment. *. 

That visit was useful to both the friends. The one had 
realized the meaning of that statement of Carlyle, "It 
is certain my belief gains quite infinitely the moment I 
can convince another mind thereof." The other left, en- 
couraged to go back to his charge among the Devon- 
shire moors, and tell all men boldly what great things 
the Lord had done for him. 

I may, perhaps, be permitted to repeat here some 



JEt. 27.] Recollections of his Companion. 105 

words written by his companion in recollection of this 
period : 

" Very touching is it now to me to think of those days 
in the light of his subsequent life. None who saw his 
strong nature thus receiving the Kingdom of God as a 
little child can ever doubt that to him it was granted 
to see that Kingdom indeed. I shall not readily forget 
the morning on which he departed. Together we got 
into the little two-wheeled pony cart, and together we 
drove over the long stretch of beeeze-swept common 
which lies between Hale and the Camp Station, at which 
he purposed to meet his train. As mental impressions 
sometimes interweave themselves with scenery, and the 
memory of the one unconsciously revives the other, so 
can I never dissociate that drive from the interchange 
of thoughts for which it afforded the opportunity. The 
white road, which undulates, now past clumps of fir- 
trees, now between banks tipped with yellow furze, 
again over long stretches of common, and the bright 
freshness of that sunny morning, will be to me ever, as 
it were, the binding of the volume of the book wherein 
are written many precious words." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

WORK AT TRENTISHOE AND DARLEY ABBEY. 

(1875-) 

" There is small chance of truth at the goal when there is not 
childlike humility at the starting-post." COLERIDGE. 

Hannington returned to Trentishoe in a very different 
frame of mind from that in which he had quitted it. Like 
that captain of the host of the King of Syria who went 
back to his master with his flesh " like unto the flesh of 
a little child," he felt himself to have become a new man. 
Some little further time, however, was to elapse before 
he would fully realize all the conditions of his new life, 
or dare to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom as one 
who had himself been admitted to the fellowship of the 
Founder. 

I do not note that his sermons became all at once 
markedly evangelistic. It would have been very unlike 
him if they had. Whatever faults he may have had, 
preaching beyond his own experience was not one of 
them. Whether or no he had read old John Byrom's ad- 
vice to preachers, he so far followed it, that 

" he never dealt 
In the false commerce of a truth unfelt." 

In this lay much of the power of his preaching. He pro- 
claimed what he knew. But this very honesty of his 
forbids the supposition that his sermons were, at this 
time, upon a higher level of spiritual life than that to 
which he himself had attained. The freedom, the "unc- 
(106) 



JEt. 27.] A " Stickit Minister!' 107 

tion," and the blessing were soon to follow. In the 
meanwhile he resolved that he would try what he could 
do without his hitherto inseparable pulpit companion, 
the sermon-case. He says : 

" Sunday Morning. — I determined, at the eleventh hour, 
that, by the help of God the Holy Spirit, I would preach 
extempore, in spite of myself and my protestations to the 
contrary. I had not, previous to this morning, prayed to 

be led to do it, and so I felt it was in answer to \s 

prayers. I succeeded a great deal better than I expected, 
and have only once since, for the last ten years " (this was 
written in 1884), "preached a written sermon. My plan 
has ever since been to make rather copious notes." 

Soon after he commenced extempore preaching he 
was warned by the following painful occurrence, that to 
preach without a manuscript entails not less prepara- 
tion, but more. He was paying a visit to his father at 
Hurst, and was, of course, asked to occupy the pulpit of 
St. George's. He was very nervous, and, moreover, was 
not well, but, from one cause or another, that sermon 
never got beyond the text. The young preacher — on 
this occasion a " stickit minister " indeed — had just suf- 
ficient presence of mind to dismiss the astonished and 
sympathetic congregation with a hymn. 

His friends justly attributed the above incident to the 
fact that he was thoroughly run down in health ; and, 
indeed, he was, by the doctor's orders, confined to his 
bed for nearly a week. He would not, however, let him- 
self off so easily. He wrote to his friend : " Alas ! my 
spiritual father, what a sickly son you have ! — a Mr. 
Idlebones, Ease-in-the-flesh; a Mr. Chat-and-do-nothing 
— a carnal professor." 

Similar misadventures have been chronicled of great 



108 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

men, from Massillon to David Livingstone ; and if this 
accident were indeed the result of vain confidence and 
want of faith, he soon experienced the blessed truth em- 
balmed in the exquisite line of that old Latin hymn — 

" Mergere nos patitur, sed non submergere Christus." * 

A fortnight later he preached again in St. George's, 
and this time with considerable power. His father, who 
now heard him for the first time, was deeply moved ; so 
he was encouraged to persevere. 

In February he was back once more in Devonshire, 
and had his first experience of a " Parochial Mission." 
This was conducted at Parracombe by Mr. John Wood 
and the Vicar, Mr. Leakey, with whom he formed a 
friendship which lasted until the end of his life. Han- 
nington writes, " I went over there, and was delighted." 
The next Sunday, in spite of a terrific storm, and heavy 
snow-drifts which almost beat him back, he made his 
way again to Parracombe, and preached to the anxious 
from Rom. v. 1. He was now able to speak as one who 
had himself found " peace with God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ." The text was an epitome of his own re- 
cent experience. We are not surprised to learn that his 
sermon was blessed, and made useful to several people. 

This Mission gave him considerable impetus. He be- 
gan to feel that the Great King might have some definite 
work for him too among His servants. That to him also 
had been committed a talent. 

That wild, harum-scarum Exmoor pony of his, which 
was always falling, or otherwise putting his life in dan- 
ger, but which he kept " because it was so game " and 
" would go down a cliff almost like the side of a house " 

* Christ suffers to sink, maybe, but not to drown. 



Mt. 27.] Boundless Energy. 109 

without flinching, carried him in every direction from 
cottage to cottage and farm to farm. And he no longer 
went among the people without a message. The Word 
of Life was now, of all subjects, the nearest to his lips. 
An old man known as "Carpenter Richards" died. 
There were not many deaths in Martinhoe. Old Rich- 
ards had been, in his youth, in prison for smuggling. 
The last words he uttered were, " I love Mr. Hanning- 
ton." " Oh," writes Hannington in his private diary, 
" that it had only been, ' I love the Lord Jesus ! ' ' 
Opposite April 26th I find this entry : 

" Sent for, instead of the doctor, to see a man " (here 
he mentions symptoms), "a hopeless case. I pointed 
him to the Saviour. My name down here as a medical 
man is quite established. I am sent for in almost every 
case ; which gives me the opportunity to speak to them 
about their souls." 

" May gtn, Sunday. — Rode about four miles to leave 
some medicine. Then preached at Parracombe. Rode 
to Walner. Saw man with inflammation. Found him 
already dying. He followed me in prayer, and said 
some nice things. Preached at Trentishoe. Returned to 
Walner. Found patient unconscious. Evening, preached 
and held a mission service in my own rooms, during 
which time, the man, I hear, died." He thus rode some 
twenty miles that day. 

"May 13th. — Man came running to me to come at 
once. A child drowned. I ran straight off at my top 
speed, and found that the child had fallen into a tank 
only seventeen inches deep, but life was quite extinct." 

" May i$th. — Sat on inquest as foreman of the jury, 
and received a shilling for my pains ! " 

" 20th. — Administered enema to a patient. Preached 



no James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

to the Club at Lynton. Dined with them and returned 
thanks for Bishop and clergy. Returned home with the 
doctor and assisted him to make a post-mortem on the 
child of the man who cursed me." This latter was an 
ill-conditioned coastguard, who had, I imagine, taken 
offence at Hannington's new views. 

From the above extracts — and they are only samples 
of many such — it will be seen that, although the souls 
over whom he was placed in charge did not much 
exceed three hundred, Hannington was not idle. Though 
the people were few, the distances which had to be trav- 
ersed, and the roughness of the moorland roads and 
bridle-paths, made the work of such thorough super- 
vision as he gave them far from easy. 

There are men who work well under a pressing sense 
of obligation to duty; but it is against the grain. If 
their consciences would let them, they would infinitely 
prefer to " stand at ease." Such men sink into the 
easiest available chairs with a sigh of relief when their 
annual holiday sets them free. To them relaxation 
means cessation from work. 

There are others to whom work is a necessity. They 
work at their profession with all their might, and they 
work at their play with all their might. Hannington 
was one of this sort. He was one of those Englishmen 
whose amusements so sorely puzzle our Continental 
neighbors. 

When June of this year came round, and he thought 
himself entitled to a holiday, he cast about for pastures 
new. He had often looked wistfully seaward, where 
the cliffs of Lundy Island rose in a purple line against 
the flame of golden sunsets. Out on the extreme limit 
of the western horizon, Lundy seems a foothold from 



JEt. 27. 



Visit to Lundy Island. 



ill 



which the happy traveller might gaze out upon a new 
and more glorious world, from which he might take his 
flight " Far away, on from island unto island at the 
gateways of the day." The very "land of far dis- 
tances." Such to the poetic mind. To the naturalist 
it offers a field of great interest. Rare plants await the 
botanist. There are " beetles" (under which term Han- 




* 



fan l ~fo W.%it 



nington classed the whole insect family) to reward the 
entomologist. The sea-shore teems with life, the sea 
with fish; the cliffs are the haunts of myriads of sea- 
birds, which deposit their eggs upon the ledges. There 
are caves to be explored, bathing and climbing ad lib- 
itum. What more can a reasonable man desire ? 

Having persuaded a College friend, T. May, to join 
him, Hannington sailed from Instow, and received a 



112 



James Hannington. 



[A.D. 1875. 



hearty welcome at the farm on Lundy Island from Mr. 
and Mrs. Dovell. There they had what the Americans 
call a "good time." They wore their oldest clothes, 
fished, egged, botanized, and explored to their heart's 
content. The humorous sketches, which are reproduced 
in exact fac-simile from a book of rhymes which Han- 
ningtpn wrote for his little nephews and nieces, describe 

some of the 
adventures 
of these 
two. They 
had arriv- 
ed in the 
height of 
the egging 
season. The 
birds lay 
their pear- 
shaped 
eggs upon 
the narrow 
ledges of 
the most in- 
accessible 
cliffs. To 
reach these 

the egg-hunter arms himself with an instrument called 
an egg-spoon, like a tiny landing net, at the end of a 
long, light rod. He is then lowered over the edge, and 
fills his wallet with as many eggs as he can reach. Han- 
nington, partly for the sake of the adventure, and partly 
to add some cormorant's eggs to his collection, persuad- 
ed Mr. Dovell and his friend " Cluppins " to let him 
down from the edge of a tremendous precipice. They 




JEt. 27.] 



Exploring a Cave. 



113 







were more nervous than he, and got well laughed at 
by the enthusiastic eggsman as he scrambled up again 
with the contents of three nests in his pockets. Whether 
or not he really played them the trick which he has so 
spiritedly depicted in the series of sketches, I do not 
know. 

The next day these two 
big boys determined to ex- 
plore the recesses of a dark 
cave much frequented by 
seals. They had to take off 
their clothes and swim into 
the entrance. They found 
themselves standing at the 
mouth of a deep cleft, which 
wound its way for some dis- 
tance into the darkness. On 
stooping down to examine 
the sand, they saw distinctly 
many recent tracks of seals. 
As the passage is very nar- 
row and of utter darkness, 
and the danger of meeting 
an alarmed and frantic seal, 
in a place where neither 
could pass the other, would 
not be small, his friend very 

wisely counselled retreat. But there was never any go- 
ing back for those who followed Hannington, unless in- 
deed they deserted him and went back alone. This, of 
course, his friend had no thought of doing, and so the 
two wormed their way inward till they reached a large 
chamber called the Seals' Kitchen. Every moment they 
expected a charge of sea-monsters, but when they arrived 




ii4 



James Hannington. 



[A.D. 1875. 



at the end of their journey they found that the seals, 
which had taken refuge there at high tide, had made 
their way out again just before their own intrusion. 

As their clothes were off, and there are no summer 
visitors to be scandalized on Lundy Island, they next 
amused themselves by swimming to various places at 
the foot of the sheer cliffs, and climbing up, amid 
screaming, circling seagulls, to the ledges where the 
shags had laid their odd-shaped eggs. 

The next sketch represents a harmless little joke of 
which his hostess was the victim. An emu's egg had 
been given to Hannington, about which he tells the 
children : 

" While I was busy blowing eggs, 

And this was by my side, 
A lady coming at the time 

At once this big egg spied. 
' O pray, declare, what have you there ? 

Where did you get that egg ? 
I must get one, let what will come; 

Please tell me how, I beg.' 




'A secret that ; I may not tell,' 

To her I straight replied, 
Then having put the egg away 

Soon out again I hied. 
My back was turned scarce half an hour: 

She to the cupboard goes, 



/Et. 27.] 



An Emu's Egg. 



"5 



And to the eggers of this isle 

The emu's egg she shows. 
The strangers took it on the cliffs, 

And, look you, I will pay 
A goodly sum to any one 

Who brings the like to-day.' 
The eggers one and all left work ; 

Off with their spoons they run. 
The master comes. Asks in a rage, 

' What's of those wretches come ? 
Unwilling strangers should them beat, 

They hunted high and low 
In every single breakneck place 

Where mortal man could go. 




But emus are not wont to lay 

On fair Britannia's isle ; 
And least of all on Lundy's cliffs. 

It really made us smile 
To hear next day the fearful tramp 

Those weary eggers had, 
Returning tattered, pale, and thin, 

And faces very sad." 



Another sketch which is full of delicate fun represents 
himself, " Cluppins," and a boatman, fishing. The con- 
ger eel just hauled into the boat is supposed to be assert- 
ing his individuality after the manner of congers. 



n6 



James Hamiington. 



[A.D. 1875. 



"lis my delight on a shiny night 

For conger eels to fish ; 
Nor takes it long, if they bite strong, 

To catch a splendid dish. 
But as you haul them in your yawl, 

Look out and mind your leg, 
They'll bite your calves right clean in halves, 

Though you may mercy beg." 




Whatever may be thought of the artistic merit of 
these drawings of his — and it must be remembered that 
he never practiced drawing, nor, indeed, handled a pen- 
cil to any purpose until he was about twenty-five years 
of age — it must be acknowledged that they are full of 
life and movement. They tell their own story. What 
they lack in correctness they make up in vigor and a 
certain incisive humor which gives them a distinct value 
of their own. This must be my excuse for publishing 
them ; as for their author, he intended these, and innu- 
merable others of the same kind, only for the eyes of 
the children at home — his little nephews and nieces — 
for whose amusement he wrote his rhymes and illustrated 
them. He was in the habit of turning his adventures 
into easy-flowing, doggerel verse for the children. His 
rhymes, if collected, would form quite a volume. They 
are prefaced thus : 

"Nephews and nieces, come this way, 
And hear what Uncle has to say. 






JEt.27.] Happy at Martinhoe. 1 17 

Oh ! such a funny man is he 
As ever you may wish to see. 
Johnnie, Katie, Toosie, run 
To see your Uncle's book of fun. 
And, as it's such a jolly day, 
Let's ask for a half-holiday." 

At about this time Mr. Hannington definitely pro- 
posed to his son that he should return to Hurstpierpoint 
and take charge of the Chapel of St. George. This did 
not at the time commend itself to the mind of James. 
He was now quite happy at Martinhoe. The people 
loved and trusted him. His work was beginning to tell. 
The report of his preaching, and the earnestness and 
power of it, had gone abroad. Crowds would throng 
the little churches, sometimes overflowing into porch and 
churchyard, when he was expected. He loved his work 
too, and the people, and the rough rides over stormy 
moors, and the wild sea-cliffs and the sounding sea. 
The unconventionality of that life thoroughly suited his 
temperament. 

He felt, moreover, that, by accepting the charge of 
St. George's he would be placing himself in a position 
«of peculiar difficulty. The people at Hurst had known 
him since he was a child ; how could he hope to escape 
the proverbial fate of the unhonored prophet ? 

Would he, moreover, prove as acceptable to the more 
cultured denizens of the neighborhood of Brighton as 
he was to the untutored Devonians ? 

With characteristic thoroughness he examined his 
own heart on the subject, and strove to weigh the pros 
and cons with an impartial hand'. Perhaps the fact that 
told most strongly for the acceptance of St. George's 
was his reluctance to leave Martinhoe. He ever dis- 
trusted his own flesh, and thought that, in doubtful 



Ii8 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

cases, it was a good and safe rule to run counter to its 
special pleading. 

He had consulted me in the matter, and even made 
the proposal that I should myself take St. George's. 
This I was unable to do. He, therefore, concluded to 
leave himself entirely in the Hand of God, and to look 
upon the consent or refusal of the two Bishops of Ex- 
eter and Chichester as a sign whether or not he were to 
take the step. It seemed quite possible that neither of 
the Bishops would have wished him to undertake a new 
charge until he had received his Priest's Orders. Thus the 
matter rested for a while. I find the following prayer 
upon a loose sheet of paper, upon which are written sev- 
eral arguments on both sides of the question : 

"Dear Lord, mercifully reveal Thy Will in this matter. 
Be Thou ever my Guardian and Guide" 

So childlike was his spirit, and so simple his trust ! 

As time went by, the answer to his prayer came in the 
gradual removal, one by one, of all the difficulties in the 
way of his transfer. When both the Bishops signified 
their assent, he felt that the matter had been taken out 
of his own hands. The next thing was to prepare him- 
self for his new sphere of work. St. George's, though a 
curacy, is virtually a sole charge. He would be thrown 
entirely upon his own resources. He decided at once to 
leave Martinhoe, and to spend some time with an expe- 
rienced clergyman, from whom he could learn some- 
thing of the varied work and organization of a well- 
ordered parish. 

The Parish of Darley Abbey, a suburb of Derby, 
seemed to offer precisely what he required. The popu- 
lation consists of about a thousand persons, the families 
of workers in two factories — a paper and a cotton mill. 



JEt.27.] Darley Abbey. 119 

The parish was a model of perfect organization. The 
Incumbent at that time was the Rev. J. Dawson, who, 
by the combination of powerful and attractive preaching 
with close and frequent house-to-house visitation, had 
filled, not only the Church, but also his class-rooms, 
with large and eager audiences. His week-night Bible- 
Classes had enrolled out of the small population the 
unusual number of a hundred and twenty women and 
between seventy and eighty men, all regular attendants. 
His wife also conducted a Sunday afternoon Bible-Class 
for factory girls, at which about sixty were usually 
present. 

The efforts of the Vicar were backed up in the heart- 
iest manner by the Evans family, the proprietors of the 
mills. By them the social and temporal affairs of the 
parish were managed with a patriarchal hand. Every 
house belonged to them, and was held by its tenant 
upon condition of conformity to certain rules. Among 
these rules was the singular one that every young man 
and woman should attend the Sunday-school until the 
age of eighteen. Whatever may be said of such com- 
pulsion theoretically, in practice it worked very well. 
The numbers who voluntarily attended the Bible-Classes, 
Prayer-Meetings, and extra Services of the Church con- 
clusively proved that the people were not offended at 
the rule, and did not resent it. There was no public- 
house in the village, and all provisions were supplied 
from one central store, of the best quality, and at " Civil 
Service " prices. 

This parish, then, seemed to offer a good illustration 
of the manner in which intelligent working-people might 
be successfully dealt with. Hannington resolved to 
abide there for a while, and study the system thoroughly. 

It was with a heavy heart that he went the round of 



120 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875, 

his old haunts and said good-bye to his friends. The 
dear old cliffs, upon which he had had many a perilous 
scramble. The sea-washed caves, down to which wound 
his famous path. The wide moorland, over which he 
and his pony had so often galloped. All these seemed 
doubly dear now, when he was about to leave them, and 
seek the grimy fields which lie beneath the smoke cloud 
of ever-vomiting factory chimneys. The people, too, his 
beloved patients — his warm-hearted Devonshire friends, 
with their quaint ways— had never seemed so friendly 
or so desirable as now, when he was to be separated 
from them. One of his humble friends, who possessed 
the power of " blessing," seized the opportunity while 
holding his hand at parting, and, before Hannington 
knew what she was doing, " said words " over his finger, 
which had been dangerously stung by some poisonous 
fly. He was incredulous, but none the less grateful. 

So, on August 17, 1875, he left North Devon some' 
what sadly. The hearty welcome, however, which greet 
ed him at the Parsonage of Darley Abbey, where his 
name was already well known, did much to cheer him. 
He soon took his place as one of themselves in the fam- 
ily circle, and became, as usual, a prime favorite. 

Dear old Miss Evans was then alive. Can any one 
who ever knew her mention her name without some 
epithet of affection ? That massive red-brick mansion, 
which stood within its own park-like grounds somewhat 
apart from the village, was, to all intents and purposes, 
the palace of the little kingdom of Darley Abbey. There 
Miss Evans ruled supreme. She was then in her eighty- 
ninth year ; in full possession of all her faculties ; the 
mistress of her household, — of their hearts and minds, 
as well as of their bodies. She came of a long-lived 
family. Her brother, the senior partner of the firm, had 



JEt. 27.] Miss Evans. 12 1 



lately died at the age of eighty-seven, and her sister, 
with whom she had lived at DarJey House since their 
babyhood, had, though paralyzed during the greater 
part of her life, only recently been removed at the age 
of eighty-four. She herself lived to see her ninety-sixth 
year. She seemed to rise superior to the course of 
Time. Her small, erect figure would go hither and 
thither with the precision and punctuality of a clock. 
Her bright and sunny face, with its never-failing smile, 
was to be seen wherever she was needed. And where 
was it that she was not required ? She was the very life 
and centre of the village and all its work. In any family 
difficulty, in any dispute, in any case in which an arbiter 
was required, it was to " Miss Ivvins " that the people 
always went. She had spent her long life among them 
and for them, and she thoroughly understood both them 
and their ways. But she must be obeyed. Her large 
household of devoted domestics — several of whom were 
almost as old as herself, and had remained with her ever 
since, three-quarters of a century ago, as an active, bright- 
eyed girl she had taken up the reins of government — 
knew this. The villagers all knew this. Sometimes a 
new-comer, mistaking the gentle demeanor of the little 
woman, and the kindly look of interest in her eyes, 
would think to presume. But he seldom transgressed 
far. He was soon made to feel that those mittened 
hands, with their tender touch, concealed a grip of steel. 
In her younger days it may have been that she used her 
power somewhat unsparingly. It is not always easy for 
strong common-sense and a commanding mind to make 
allowance for the weakness of others. But now, in her 
extreme age, softened, chastened, beautiful in her brisk 
helpfulness, self-respecting and respected, she presented 
a perfect picture of sweet and honorable womanhood. 
6 



122 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

The income of her large fortune was spent in doing 
good. No one will know until the Great Day of the 
Revelation of all things how many homes were made 
happy by her, how many were saved from ruin by her 
prompt interference, how many were assisted to make a 
start in life. Truly there are not a few who will rise 
and call her blessed. 

Miss Evans was quick to discern the merits of James 
Hannington. He was always a welcome guest at Darley 
House. He, on his part, was charmed with Miss Evans, 
and enjoyed above all things to draw out her rich store 
of Christian experience. 

On one occasion, when we called together, we found 
several elderly ladies, friends of Miss Evans, gather- 
ed round the fire. Their conversation upon some 
point of spiritual interest quite engrossed us, and we 
stayed a considerable time. As we at length left the 
house, Hannington turned to me with a quaint look, 
and said : 

" Do you know, old fellow, I think that I must really 
be a Christian ? " 

" I hope so," I said. " But what makes you think so 
just now especially ?" 

" Well," he replied, with a smile, "what an unutter- 
able bore I should have thought those people and their 
talk on such a subject a short time ago. But, do you 
know? I positively enjoyed it." 

Hannington had his first experience of a genuine paro- 
chial tea-party soon after his arrival. It is the custom 
at Darley Abbey to issue a general invitation to the peo- 
ple on the day of the Derby races to what is called "the 
Race Tea." On this occasion over six hundred sat down. 
After tea addresses were given, among which Hanning- 
ton noted with interest a description which the Rev 



JEt. 28.] Instituted Curate of St. George's. 123 

J. E. Linnell, himself once a workman, gave to the work- 
ing-people of his own eventful life. 

On the twenty-ninth of September Hannington was 
instituted as Curate of St. George's, but he resolved to 
gain more experience of pastoral work before commenc- 
ing his labors there, so, leaving the chapel in charge of 
the Rev. F. H. S. Pendleton, he returned to Darley in 
time to take part in a Mission which was to be conduct- 
ed by the Rev. C. Melville Pym. 

Into the work of this Mission he threw himself heartily. 
He says : " I gave the opening address. Mr. Bemrose, 
the publisher, followed. I was thin, but he was splen- 
did." Every day he gave some address — rough and 
ready, but forcible and to the point, — visited energet- 
ically from house to house, and assisted at the after- 
meetings. On one occasion he seized hold of a notorious 
drunkard, and would not let him go until he had made a 
definite promise to come to that evening's Service. That 
Mission produced a great effect upon the people of Dar- 
ley, and consolidated the Christians there into a united 
working body. Hannington was soon himself to con- 
duct many such in other parts of the country. 

He also saw and took part in the remarkable work 
which is carried on by the railway men at the Derby 
Station. He says: " I went to the Midland Railway break- 
fast-room, where about a hundred men meet and listen 
to an address from some specially-invited preacher every 
morning while they consume their breakfasts. A short 
time ago the Bishop of London spoke to them. This 
gathering originated in a half-witted man who used to 
read his Bible at meal-time, and was badly treated, in 
consequence, by the other men. He went apart into a 
corner by himself, and was presently joined by another. 
They both of them got so persecuted that somebody 



124 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875 

spoke to the officials, and they gave them a small shed 
This has now grown into the present meeting of about 
a hundred strong. I came in and asked if I might be a 
listener. The foreman said, ' We have been disappoint- 
ed in our man ; will you speak to us ? ' I had not come 
prepared, but the Lord helped me ; and they immedi- 
ately begged me to come again." 

During the short time that he spent at Darley, Han- 
nington quite won the hearts of the people. His frank 
and open manner took them by storm ; his eccentricities 
only endeared him the more to them. As a mill-worker 
was heard to say : " We all like Mr. Hannington, and 
no mistake ; he is so free like ; he just comes into your 
house, and sticks his hands down into the bottom of his 
pockets, and talks to you like a man." 

He was the life and soul of the family party at the 
Vicarage. His queer sayings and his oddities are still 
remembered by the members of that circle, especially by 
the Vicar, who thoroughly entered into and enjoyed his 
humor. 

" I know that I am sometimes a little different from 
other people," Hannington would say, penitently, yet 
with a sly twinkle in his eye. 

"A little different ! " the Vicar would reply, shaking 
with laughter. " Why, I never saw anybody in all my 
life at all like you." 

Or, as putting on a quizzical air, standing astride 
upon the hearth-rug, he brought to light some imaginary 
discovery which he had made with regard to some mem- 
ber of the family, and then proceeded with infinite glee 
to work up the most ridiculous superstructure upon this 
mock foundation, the Vicar, who had been enjoying the 
whole thing with suppressed delight struggling on every 
feature, would burst forth from the depths of his arm 



fEt. 28.] His Eccentricity. 125 

chair with a sounding peal, and a "James, you are per- 
fectly incorrigible ; you are not content until you have 
probed out the tender part of everybody, and then you 
just go on dig, dig, digging away relentlessly at that spot 
till you become unbearable. You ought to be ashamed 
of yourself ! " All this with the keenest appreciation of 
his odd pupil. 

Well, has not one of our greatest modern thinkers 
said: " Eccentricity has always abounded where strength 
of character has abounded. That so few dare to be ec- 
centric marks the chief danger of the time ! " 

And if he did sometimes carry his humor to the verge 
of irritation, or persist in working out his vein of vexa- 
tiousness to the annoyance of the over-sensitive, he was 
soon forgiven. It was impossible to take offence, for the 
simple reason that he never meant to offend. 

And Hannington could be very gentle and courteous 
when he chose to be so. With the aged, or the weak, 
or with those in need of comfort, help, or consolation, 
he was ever the gentlest, kindest, and most considerate 
of friends. In the presence of such he was another man. 
None who ever sought his advice in trouble, or by whose 
bedside he has sat in their sickness, will readily forget 
the tender helpfulness of his quiet manner, and the true 
ring of sympathy in his voice. 



CHAPTER IX. 

st. George's, hurstpierpoint. 

(I875-) 

" Sir, the life of a Parson, of a conscientious clerygman, is not 
easy. I have always considered a clergyman as the father of a 
larger family than he is able to maintain." Johnson. 

"And evermore beside him on his way 
The unseen Christ shall move ; 
That he may lean upon His arm and say, 
' Dost Thou, dear Lord, approve ? ' " 

Wordsworth. 

On the third of November, 1875, Hannington was 
again in Oxford, to receive his M.A. degree. He found 
at St. Mary Hall, alone of his former companions, the 
Rev. David Johnston, Minister of the Church of Scotland 
in the Orkneys, a Biblical Student, and holder of the 
Kenicott Hebrew Scholarship, the tenure of which re- 
quired him to reside in Oxford during the Michaelmas 
Term of that year. The following entry refers to this 
meeting : 

" Had a long and profitable converse with David John- 
ston ; he told me that he never had had any hope of my 
conversion, I seemed so utterly given over to the world." 

Mr. Johnston was not the only one of his former ac- 
quaintances who were unaware of the change which had 
passed over his life, and the tenor of it. 

On one occasion, shortly before the correspondence 
which has been given in Chapter VII., one of Hanning- 
ton's college friends was spending the month of Septem- 
(126) 




w^- 




Mt. 28.] " The Great Change." 127 

ber at the country house of an old St. Mary Hall man. 
" The great change " had but lately passed over himself. 
He could not have hidden it if he would. A new lan- 
guage and words to which his companion was unaccus- 
tomed cropped up as the two trod the stubbles, or waded 
knee deep through the turnip-fields, carrying destruc- 
tion among the partridges. An indefinable aroma of a 
new life permeated even their conversation over the 
pipes at night. But when, finally, he confessed that he 
had heard the call of Christ, and was resolved to follow 
Him, his companion lost no time, but wrote off at once 
to Hannington for advice. Said he : " I don't know 

what has come over . He is dreadfully changed in 

his views. You must come and spend a few days with 
us when next he is here, and we will soon settle him be- 
tween us." Alas ! those three were never to meet on 
earth. Had they done so within two years of that let- 
ter, there would, indeed, have been two against one, 
but the majority would not have been upon the side 
espoused by Hannington's perplexed correspondent ! 
Over Hannington, too, that Change had passed. 

To many of his old friends it seemed like a miracle 
when he boldly took his place among the fighting men 
in the vanguard of Christ's Great Army. 

On the seventh of November, Hannington preached 
his introductory sermon in St. George's Chapel. We 
have already described the village of Hurstpierpoint. 
In the grounds of St. George's House, on the highest 
part of them, stands the chapel, a well-shaped building, 
with high-pitched roof ; simple in construction, but 
withal appropriate to its surroundings. Within, a nave 
seated for some three hundred persons, comfortable and 
commodius — benches low and open. Beyond, a simple 
chancel, from the arch of which hangs a light brass 



128 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875, 

chandelier. Throughout the building a subdued light, 
falling through the stained glass of single, pointed win- 
dows. Chancel door perhaps ajar, letting in a ray of 
warm sunlight, and revealing glimpses of smooth lawns 
and flowers, and spaces of sky and far-reaching view. 

At the end of every pew hangs a bracket, which can 
be raised at will to accommodate an additional sitter. 
And these brackets were seldom out of use during Han- 
nington's incumbency of the chapel ! 

Here he labored during the next seven years ; almost 
unknown to the world, but well known enough in the 
neighborhood of Hurst, and winning the affection of 
his people in a manner in which it is given to few cler- 
gymen to do. 

One of the most wholly unconventional souls that 
ever breathed, some of his sayings and doings remind 
us irresistibly of William Grimshaw, whose eccentrici- 
ties were known and beloved anywhere within a day's 
journey of Haworth. 

In his old, faded boating coat — his St. Mary Hall 
"blazer" — he would walk briskly down the village 
street. All the children knew well enough that the 
pockets of that coat were filled with goodies. They 
looked out for him with a shy expectancy. One day, as 
he walked with a certain dignified ecclesiastic, this time 
attired in proper clerical uniform, a little girl stole up 
timidly behind, and pulled his coat tails. " Please, sir," 
said she, blushing, " haven't you got a bull's-eye for 
me?" 

He would gather the children about him and give 
them some brief and fitting instruction with regard to 
their conduct toward their parents and each other. 
Thus, they were not to " sneak," not to speak untruths, 
etc, etc. When he next encountered them they were 



JEt. 28.] "Jemmy." 1 29 

cross-examined : " Now, then : what were the three 
things you were not to do; eh?" When the answers 
were correct, the rewarding bull's-eye was never want- 
ing. 

There are few men who know how to combine perfect 
freedom and familiarity of manner with a self-respect 
with which the rudest boor will not venture to take a 
liberty. Hannington had learned the secret of this com- 
bination in a very wonderful manner. He could be hail- 
fellow-well-met with rough men and lads with enviable 
impunity. The workmen of Hurst knew him among 
themselves by the pet name of "Jemmy." He was 
Hurstpierpoint's Jemmy ; their own Jemmy. But there 
was no one in the district to whom the men raised their 
caps more willingly, or to whom the boys looked up with 
more unquestioning admiration. Chalmers is reported 
to have said to one who was maintaining that the clergy 
should " stand upon their dignity," " Sir ! if we don't 
mind, we may die of dignity." Hannington was quite 
of that opinion. He sought all souls, anyhow and any- 
where. If he could not win them in a dignified manner, 
he had no objection to appear as undignified as the oc- 
casion seemed to demand. 

" Oh, the value of one soul ! " he somewhere writes ; 
and his whole life from this time bears witness to the 
sincerity of his estimate. He would get hold of the 
boys and attract them to himself by his kindly interest 
in their pursuits — an interest b)* which they could not 
but be nattered; he would gradually wean them from 
evil companions, by encouraging them to cultivate any 
taste which he might detect in them. Boys who showed 
a liking for curiosities or natural history were invited to 
his house, and allowed to examine his own large and 
various collections, and his cabinets of classified speci- 
6* 



130 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875, 

mens. All this with a good-natured raillery which was 
very effective in checking any disposition to conceit on 
the part of his proteges. His quizzical smile kept 
everybody at his own proper level. No boy with a taste 
for the concertina, or for scribbling designs upon his 
slate, or for rapid summing, was suffered to delude him- 
self into the idea that he was an embryo Mozart, or 
Turner, or the future senior wrangler of the village. 
One of his friends * reports the following characteristic 
reply to a lad who " fancied himself " as a musician, and 
to whom he at once consented to allow the use of his 
own harmonium. " But when shall I begin, sir ? " asked 
the boy. " Oh, well," said Hannington, looking at him 
with an amused smile, " I shall be out on Thursday." 

These lads and the young men loved him. He gath- 
ered them together into a Bible-Class and Temperance 
Association. They were called " Hannington's Saints," 
but they were not much afflicted thereby. They were 
taught to regard the disapproval of the scoffers as the 
highest compliment that could be conferred upon them. 
The following extract from his diary will show how 
closely he was accustomed to watch his lads, and, as he 
used to term it, to " father " them : 

" Went to the Review with several of my Bible-Class. 
I had also with me S. S., whom I am trying to get hold 
of. We passed on the road a vanful of the wild lads of 
the parish. It was extraordinary to watch S. S., how 
wistfully he looked at them, and evidently longed to be 
with them. He watched them until they disappeared 
from view. Oh ! what a fight the devil is going to 
make for that young man ! Get to Thyself the victory, 
O Lord ! Amen and amen." 

* Mr. W. Boxall. 



^Et. 28.] A Model Mission Hall. 131 

There is little room for wonder that Hannington was 
both respected and beloved when, as we question his 
people, there come out, one by one, the sacrifices which 
he made for them and for the Great Cause which he 
had at heart. Take the following example : 

He was very fond of riding. There was no pleasure 
to which he looked forward with more keen delight 
than to a long gallop over the downs, or a scamper with 
his sister-in-law through the country lanes. They two 
would sometimes start from the field beyond the gar 
dens of St. George's, and ride straight across country 
clearing everything in their way, in a neck-and-neck 
race. 

But one day Hannington announced that he had sold 
his horse. He would ride no more. He had need of 
the money for other things which were not hard to 
guess. For the future he would go about the parish on 
foot. As for the stable and coach-house, he meant to 
knock them into one. They would, if properly fitted 
up, form an excellent mission-room, and just such an 
one as he had for a long while wanted for his meetings. 
No sooner said than done. Just behind his house stands 
the transformed stable to-day. Papered, carpeted, hung 
with paraffine lamps, provided with forms and har- 
monium — a model mission hall; and a model also of 
what may be done by a man whose heart is wholly 
given to serve the Lord. These and many similar acts 
were done so quietly and so wholly without ostentation 
of any kind, that many of his most intimate friends 
never suspected that he was making any special sac- 
rifices. Of all this from himself they never heard a 
syllable. 

He never posed as a large-hearted man, given to lib- 
erality. Indeed, I do not think that he knew that he 



132 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

was liberal. His liberality was not a vestment put on, 
it was himself ; it ran in his blood. To have behaved 
like a churl would have been to him the most painful 
thing in the world, if not a sheer impossibility. 

I find traces of ^50 given to a needy brother " mis- 
sioner " upon one occasion, and another sum of ^40 to 
a certain , " to see him through his trouble." 

How many other such sums were expended in a sim- 
ilar manner it is impossible to guess. But, as George 
Dawson says with regard to an act of magnanimity on 
the part of old Andrew Marvell, " a man cannot do one 
thing like that without doing many things like that," 
and the blessed habit of giving, like all other habits, 
grows with the use of it. He was a preacher, too, who 
could not fail to secure an attentive audience. While 
he was not naturally a ready speaker, he had, from the 
commencement of his extempore preaching, that elo- 
quence which is bred of intense conviction. His style 
might be formed upon no known standard, but it was, 
at least, effective. It was never conventional. He never 
dealt in platitudes. He spoke as one who had some- 
thing to say; and from the first he caught the ear and 
held the attention of the most sleepy country congre- 
gations. Of only too many well-meaning and learned 
preachers might the rustic hearer complain with, alas, 
too much of saddest truth, 

" I 'eerd 'urn a bummin' awaay loike a buzzard clock ower my 'ead, 
An' I niver knaw'd what a mean'd."* 

Hannington, at least, took care that the people should 
know what he meant. In these, the early days of his 
preaching, he gave no thought to anything but his mat- 

* The Northern Farmer. 



/Et. 28.] His Preaching. 133 

ter. He would let himself be carried impetuously along 
upon a stormy tide of speech, the broken waves of 
which disdained to be confined within the bounds of 
legitimately constructed sentences; and often used he 
laughingly to take his present biographer to task for 
"criticising his grammar," when such criticism was very 
far from his thoughts. 

As might have been expected, these things soon right- 
ed themselves. He rapidly acquired command of lan- 
guage that expressed his thoughts in concise and pithy 
sentences ; and many have without reserve endorsed 
words which I ventured on a previous occasion to write 
concerning him: " Latterly his preaching was not only 
cultivated and powerful, but, from the originality of his 
thought, and his close acquaintance with the minutiae of 
Scripture, most deeply interesting and instructive."* 
Whatever faults may have been laid to the charge of 
his early preaching, neither dulness nor vagueness could 
be numbered among them. 

"Are you going to hear Jemmy preach this evening ? " 
one neighbor would say to another. Or, next day, " He 
gave it us regular hot last night, didn't he ? " 

When he preached against any particular vice, no one 
could entertain the least doubt as to what vice he in- 
tended to condemn. Unlike the Irish clergy whom Miss 
Ellice Hopkins so amusingly describes as racking their 
brains during the potato famine to find some eupho- 
nious synonym for the vulgar word " potato," Hanning 
ton was never afraid to call anything by its proper 
name. So far he was a very Latimer. In Devonshire, 
the " spade " of immorality was called and denounced 
by the name which belongs to that particular kind of 

*C. M. Intelligencer, April, 1886. 



134 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

"spade." In Hurstpierpoint, the " spade " of drunken- 
ness was described, not in decent generalities, but in 
most pungent particularities. " The old fuddlers," as 
he used to dub the alehouse theologians and pothouse 
politicians, could not find the least loophole of escape 
from the understanding of what it was which their pastor 
stood up to condemn. 

The following is very characteristic : " One Sunday 
he gave out the announcement : ' I intend to preach a 
temperance sermon next Sunday evening; I am aware 
that the subject is unpopular, but you know my own 
views upon it. I shall, no doubt, speak pretty plain, so 
if any of you do not care to hear me you had better 
stop away.' Of course, the church was crowded." 

Here is an instance of his adaptability : 

" I had a curious experience at the workhouse. I gave 
out a text, and began in rather a sermonizing way. The 
coughing was so tremendous that I could scarcely hear 
myself speak. I never heard such a selection of varied 
coughs in my life. Well, thought I, this will never do, 
so I altered my tone, and said, ' I will tell you a tale.' 
The coughs all stopped together — dead silence — and so 
I went on. As soon as one tale was finished I began 
another, and so kept their attention to the end without 
difficulty." 

It is told of Sydney Smith, that, when preaching in 
Edinburgh, in the first quarter of this century, seeing 
how almost exclusively the congregations were com- 
posed of ladies, he gave out as his text, " Oh, that men 
would therefore praise the Lord ! " — laying distinct em- 
phasis on the word " men." That was in questionable 
taste, but it marked a fact. Bishop Ryle, writing in '53, 
laments the absence of men from the churches, and 



iEt. 29.] 



The Secret of his Success. 



135 



there are still parishes in which that complaint might be 
made. It was not so in the Chapel of St. George's dur- 
ing James Hannington's incumbency. 

But to the problem, " Where are the men ? " it may be 
that an easier solution is at hand than that which pre- 
sents itself to some perplexed pastors when they pain- 
fully discuss the question at their periodic clerical meet- 
ing. To the reproaches and exhortations of Pulpit, it 
may be that Pew has something valid to reply. He 
might say : If it be true that " a modern sermon is too 
often a dull, tame, pointless religious essay, full of 
measured, round sentences, Johnsonian English, bald 
platitudes, timid statements, and elaborately-concocted 
milk and water " * — change all that ; preach to us some- 
thing the very opposite of that veracious description, 
and you will no longer have to ask, " Where are the 
men ? " Englishmen have not lost their love of a good 
sermon. They are not harder to please to-day than 
were the audiences of Latimer, Wesley, Whitefield, or 
Chalmers. They do not even ask for a fine sermon ; 
only preach to them in earnest, and preach to the point, 
and they will not fail to give you a hearing. In some 
such terms might Pew lift up his voice in reply to the 
wailing of deserted Pulpit. 

The secret of Hannington's success will probably be 
found to have been, that what truths were made plain 
to his own heart, these he sought the power of the Spirit 
of God to enable him to make plain to the congregation. 
And he had no lack of hearers. Men and women, young 
and old, they filled his little chapel to its utmost holding 
capacity. 

The experience, moreover, of his own former life was 



* Bishop Ryle. 



1 36 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

very useful to him here. He had proved for and in him- 
self that it is possible to believe in God, think seriously, 
and pray earnestly, without having any definite part or 
lot in Christ's matter. He, therefore, never fell into the 
mistake of addressing his hearers as though they were 
Christians indeed until they had been actually converted 
to God. He sought for broken hearts, contrite spirits, 
and souls willing to be saved through faith in the Re- 
deemer ; nor did he seek in vain ; in results such as these 
his ministry was fruitful from the first. 

But, while Hannington was a diligent preacher, minis- 
trant, and visitor, he did not forget that his flock pos- 
sessed bodies as well as souls. He took an active prac- 
tical leadership in every local effort to improve the 
well-being of the people. I find a note about a certain 
Industrial Exhibition* which was planned and organ- 
ized almost wholly by his own exertions, though, as 
usual, he succeeded in enlisting the co-operation of al- 
most everybody, and arousing their enthusiasm in the 
success of the undertaking. The idea of this exhibition 
was, that everybody in the village should show their 
various manufactures, paintings, joiners' work, carving, 
and any curious or fancy articles they might possess. 
The people took up the plan warmly, and the exhibi- 
tion, which was the first of the kind ever held in the 

* Mr. Mitten writes with regard to this exhibition : " Here at 
Hurstpierpoint our friend did a good deal, and it is a place where 
it is very difficult for anybody to do anything without raising ob- 
struction in some quarter or other. He threw himself fully into the 
idea of the exhibition, and so cautiously approached the Rector and 
Resident Curate, that* they too entered into the project heartily, as 
if it were their own idea ; indeed, his management of this difficult 
feat filled me with admiration for his skill in making people do just 
as he wished, by rendering it impossible that they could do any 
other thing to their own satisfaction." 



/Et. 29.] Fearless Shepherding. 137 

neighborhood, proved a great success. t was repeated 
in following years, and no doubt was useful to many 
as a guide to the discovery of their own individual talent, 
and an encouragement to occupy their hands in some 
profitable pursuit. 

Nor did his interest in medical work slacken. Here 
are some specimen entries from his diary : 

" Helped Dr. Smith to cut off a man's finger — gan- 
grene. 

" Assisted Drs. S. and H. to cut off Bristowe's arm, as 
mortification had gone further. Afterwards, performed 
duties of hospital nurse; carried off the arm and buried it. 

"Dr. Pearce summoned me to come and help at a 
post-mortem. Found two large stones in each kidney. 
Very bad subject. Dr. P. cut himself, and I had to sew 
him up again." 

The following is a good example of fearless shepherd- 
ing : 

" A most virulent case of small-pox in an outlying part 
of the parish ; a boy taken with it. I called, and found 
the people forsaken by their neighbors. No milk, and 
the boy's life depending upon it. I fetched some milk, 
and then, at the request of the mother, saw the boy and 
prayed with him. The next day it was all over the par- 
ish that I had visited the small-pox case. The people 
were in a dreadful state of mind. The relieving officer 
called, and in an authoritative way ordered me not to go 
near the place. I replied that if the law were on the 
side of the sanitary officials, it was open to them to use 
it, but where duty called I should go ; and as he went 
out of one door, I went out at the other, and called at 
the infected house. The doctor gave no hope. Every 
preparation had been made to bury the poor lad the 



138 James Hannington. [A.D. 1879. 

same night. The following day the health officer wrote, 
urging me to take every precaution, but not forbidding 
me to go, as the law is on my side. Letter from X. Y. 
Z., asking me not even to speak to her husband in his 

carriage out of doors for three weeks ! ! After 

all, the boy recovered." 

Whenever the people were in any danger, distress, or 
difficulty, they knew to whom they might apply for help 
without fear of refusal. Here is an instance which may 
give one an idea of the manner in which he would follow 
up to its conclusion any case which he had undertaken. 

In October of 1879 Hannington received a telegram 

from a certain Mrs. , asking him to come at once to 

her assistance, as her husband had run away with another 
woman and left her wholly destitute. He lost no time 
in bestirring himself in the matter, and the man was 
soon arrested and in custody. Hannington then called 
upon the prisoner, but found him entirely hardened, and 
refusing to be reconciled to his wife. He prayed with 
him, pleaded with him, and spent much time in repre- 
senting his duty to him from every point of view, but 
all to no purpose. The next day he was up early, and 
sought the man's cell before breakfast, in hope that the 
night's meditation might have resulted in a better frame 
of mind. The husband was still sullen, and obstinately 
refused to see him. Nothing daunted, Hannington ap- 
peared in the man's behalf in the court, and said all that 
was possible in his favor with regard to his past history. 
He was, however, condemned and sentenced to three 
months' imprisonment with hard labor. Up to this 
time he had, with strange perversity, persuaded himself 
that his wife and all the rest of the world were in the 
wrong, and that he was the persecuted and injured vie- 



/Et. 32.] An Obdurate Prisoner, 139 

tim of their malice. His sentence, therefore, came upon 
him as an additional and unwarrantable piece of injus- 
tice. He was furious. More impracticable than ever. 
Hannington lost no time in seeking another interview 
with him, but met with nothing but reproaches and bit- 
ter accusations against all concerned in his incarceration. 
He was not discouraged, but, as usual, made the man's 
case the subject of special pleading in his private prayers. 
He did not lose sight of him, but kept himself ac- 
quainted with the prisoner's movements in the jail 
where he was confined, and when the day of release 
arrived, went up himself to meet him and tender his 
assistance. After an interview which lasted three hours, 
he left him deeply penitent. Not long afterwards occurs 
this entry in the diary : 

" Went up to town ; took an affectionate leave of . 



He sails for , is still very depressed, but I have every 

hope that real blessing has come out of it." 

Nor did he go without substantial help from his 
friend ; which help he used to good purpose in the land 
of his regenerated life, and in due time "returned every 
penny of it." 

Disinterested acts of kindness like the above could 
not fail to win for him something more than the mere 
liking of the people among whom he labored. No doubt 
they were as prone as others to take the attentions 
of their pastor, and any sacrifice on his part in their 
behalf, as a matter of course ; but they could not help 
seeing that he was no " hireling shepherd." From his 
lips the words, " I seek not yours, but you," came as no 
vain protestation, but as a statement of undeniable fact. 
Whether they would or no, they could not withhold their 



140 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875 — 79. 

hearts from him. If they did not agree with his teach- 
ing, or follow his precepts, at least they all loved him. 

And he, too, was attached both to the people and to 
his work among them in no ordinary way. More than 
once he was offered livings with larger and better known 
spheres of labor. But though he derived no emolument 
from St. George's, which had been left to him by his 
father without a stipend attached to it, and, as time went 
by, his private income, which had been amply sufficient 
for a bachelor, proved to be no luxurious provision for 
a family, he always refused preferment. His constant 
reply to those who would have him seek promotion was, 
"I dwell among mine own people." 

It may be a fitting conclusion to this chapter to say a 
few words with regard to Hannington's Church views. 
Some of the readers of this book will, no doubt, remain 
unsatisfied until they have been told to what party in 
the Church he belonged. But if they hope to find in 
him a partisan of their own special school of thought, I 
fear that they will lay down these pages with disap- 
pointment. Whatever party may lay claim to him, I 
cannot, after an impartial survey of his whole life, dis- 
cover that he attached himself exclusively to any section 
of the Church. What I mean by that is, that he was 
not a party man. He never seemed to me to take the 
slightest interest in Church-party-politics. He undoubt- 
edly found most that was congenial to him in the society 
of men who are generally supposed to belong to a cer- 
tain school, but he did not weigh the merits of others 
in the balances of that school ; whenever and wherever 
he thought that he recognized a spiritually-minded man, 
he quickly and joyfully accepted him, whether he found 
him- in priest's cloak and biretta, or the broadcloth of 
some country local preacher. He was quite willing tc 



&L. 29—33-] 



His Church Views. 



141 



occupy the pulpit of any man — w"hether in the Church 
of England or out of it — who would allow him to preach 
a Gospel sermon, even though the views usually advo- 
cated from that pulpit differed in many points from his 
own. He was very impatient of all conventional rules 
which threatened to hamper his full liberty of Christian 
action, and was, in the same way, an enemy of any for- 
malism in worship which might tend to cramp his spir- 
itual freedom. Toward the close of his ministry, and 
especially when he himself had become an administrator 
in the affairs of the Church, his views underwent some 
modification, and he learned to estimate Church order at 
its full value ; but at this time the one thing which he 
craved above all others was freedom — freedom to serve 
Christ as the Spirit might direct him. As we have seen, 
his feelings had undergone a considerable change since 
the time when he was first brought into contact with 
the Church. Then he was strongly drawn toward High- 
Churchism. In his boyhood, he had even once been 
powerfully attracted by the Roman system. The dis- 
cipline, apparent union, and the zeal of the English 
Romanists commended them greatly to him. His mind, 
however, was too robust and independent to accept 
Roman dogma ; and, still in search of something where- 
with to satisfy the desire of his soul, he thought that he 
had found what he wanted in the " Anglican " Church 
system. He had not at that time grasped the truth that 
the only way to peace with God is through vital and 
personal union with the Lord Jesus Christ, much less 
had he found that peace ; but he was thoroughly in 
earnest, and he required earnestness in any religious soci- 
ety of men as an essential condition to joining himsell 
to iihem. The self-denial which was entailed upon him 
in keeping the Fasts and Holy Days of the Church 
seemed to satisfy for a while his spiritual craving. 



14 2 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875 — 79. 

This was the attitude of his mind when he went to 
Oxford, and I am inclined to think that had he been 
brought under the personal influence of some leading 
High-Churchman, some man of commanding moral force, 
who could have at once claimed him by his personality, 
and fascinated him by the spectacle of a practical, manly 
life, coupled with such an inner religious life as would 
have appealed to his imagination — he might have been 
readily seized, and, at least for a time, held. 

This, however, did not happen. While his mind was 
still in the balance, and while, moreover, his religious 
sense was almost drowned in the excitement of his new 
college life and popularity, so that he was not inclined 
to think so seriously as before, and was little disposed 
to delve beneath the surface of things, and patiently dig 
out truth for himself, he was brought into contact with 
a set among the undergraduates which professed to be 
the exponent of the latest and most correct Church rit- 
ual. The young men who composed this set paid great 
attention to correctness of posture in chapel, and to 
niceties of observance in public and private worship 
They were fond of dressing themselves, in the privacy 
of their own rooms, in abbreviated, lace-trimmed sur- 
plices, and getting themselves photographed with crozier 
and censer. In the bedroom of one such, we accident- 
ally discovered an altar composed of his trunk, draped 
with a suitable antimacassar, upon which stood a row 
of tiny candlesticks and a vase or so of flowers, while 
above, upon the wall, hung a plaster crucifix ! 

Those who knew Hannington will understand what 
must have been the effect produced upon him. His 
mind, apparently, underwent a swift revulsion. All this 
jarred upon him and disgusted him. It offered him end- 
less food for raillery, and excited his immeasurable con- 



^t. 29 — 33.] A Universal Christian. 143 

tempt. He loved to lampoon the performers and ridicule 
their " functions." It was not, of course, fair that a sys- 
tem should be judged by the youthful extravagance of 
its junior disciples, but Hannington was at that time 
very impressionable, and there can be little doubt that 
to what he then saw, during his residence at Oxford, 
may be attributed the origin of that dislike for all un- 
necessary ritual which he displayed at the commence- 
ment of his ministerial life. 

Afterwards, his lot fell among Evangelicals. They 
did not obtain any decided influence over him while at 
Oxford, but it was among them that he first, after his 
conversion, felt the power of spiritual life. At this time, 
if he had been pressed to define himself, he would, no 
doubt, have termed himself an Evangelical, but while he 
undoubtedly found himself most in unison with liberal 
and large-hearted members of that school, he already 
disliked party names and the spirit of faction, and utter- 
ly declined to be bound by the " red tape " of any party 
whatsoever. He had the widest sympathy with all 
Christians. He loved and respected all those who love 
the Lord Jesus in sincerity. Toward the close of his 
ministry especially his feelings toward all Christian 
workers became enlarged and his antipathies softened. 
Every agai?ist seemed to have been swallowed up by one 
all-comprehensive for — for Christ. At the same time 
this large-hearted charity did not prevent him from 
being a true son of the Church. His love for his own 
Church evidently deepened with each year that he served 
in her ranks ; he had no doubt in his own mind as to her 
superiority, both in order and forms, over those bodies 
which dissented from her. A Universal Christian first, 
and a " Churchman " after, he did not for a moment for- 
get that he was the latter. 



CHAPTER X. 

HOME MISSION WORK AND PERSONAL DIARY. 

(I875—79-) 

"The Country Parson desires to be All to his Parish." 

George Herbert. 

In the previous chapter I have attempted to describe 
Hannington as he appeared in his parish, and to ascer- 
tain how it was that he came to be loved, and to be a 
moral force there. We may now, perhaps, with advan- 
tage continue to follow the details of his life in their 
chronological order. 

It is deeply interesting to note how entirely his heart 
was thrown into the business of " fishing for men." His 
diary at this period is full of jottings which refer to the 
spiritual awakening of such a one, or his conversations 
with another concerning the welfare of his soul. The 
subject is never absent from his thoughts. Such entries 
as the following stud thickly page after page : 

" Spoke to H. H., and was made useful to him. He 
was certainly converted to God." 

" My old master and friend, W. H. G., called. Moody 
has been blessed to him. He seems now thoroughly 
converted." 

" My servant, John,* was, I trust, turned to the Lord ; 
I have prayed for him a long while." 

* Mr. Mitten writes : " It was a way also of our friend to take a 
lad for his servant and transform him, then pass him on to some- 
thing better. In this way he had a good many, who have, so far 
as I know, all turned out well. He had a great influence with young 
men, and collected many to come and read with him." 
(144) 



JEt. 29.] His Brother Joseph. 145 

About this time he was able to be of assistance to 
his youngest brother, Joseph. Mr. Joseph Hannington 
writes : 

" Some little time before I knew what it was to have 
full assurance of faith, I came down one Sunday from 
Brighton to hear my brother James preach. I was in 
much doubt and distress of mind. One remark in my 
brother's sermon made a deep impression upon me, and 
threw light into my soul. It was as follows : ' The fact 
of our salvation does not depend upon our own feelings. As 
for myself, there are times when, if I consulted my feelings, I 
should say that I am not saved. I should be plunged again 
into the depths of misei-y. Feelings are treacherous things, 
?wt to be trusted. They are the least reliable of things to rest 
upon. After some sermon which has met our own case we may 
have experienced a time of peace ; or our circumstances may 
have induced a happy frame of mind, we are then quite assured 
of God's love. Depression of spirits follows, and we quickly 
lose our hope. But as surely as we rest upon these frauds, our 
feelings, the Lord will see fit to withdraw them in order that 
we may learn to rest upon Him. I find that as soon as I go 
back and take my stand upon His bare Word, I recover my joy 
and peace. Therefore, let me urge upon you the necessity of 
staying your faith upon Christ : not upon your most hallowed 
feelings, but upon Christ Himself and His written promises. 
Whenever you are in doubt, perplexed, and unhappy, go at once 
to the Lord j fix your mind upon some precious passage from 
His unfailing Word, and God's Truth will disperse any mists 
of darkness which Satan's lies may have brought upon your 
soul' 

" From these words I received much help, as I had for 
a long time fancied that when I felt happy after prayer, 
or reading my Bible, or hearing some sermon, I was all 
7 



™ 



146 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875. 

right, but in a very little while all these happy feelings 
fled away and left me more wretched than ever. A short 
time after this my attention was directed by the Hon. T. 
Pelham to St. John iii. 36, ' He that believeth hath 
everlasting life '; and the Holy Ghost opened my eyes 
in a moment, and I saw the truth of my dear brother's 
words, and have been enabled to rest from that day to 
this upon the Word as a rock that cannot be shaken." 

Mr. Joseph Hannington goes on to say that, being 
overjoyed at his discovery, he tried to impart his happi- 
ness to all whom he met. He did not receive, however, 
universal encouragement. One old Christian bade him 
take heed and not be too joyful, as he would soon prob- 
ably lose the fervor of these first impressions. Thus he 
was damped. He says : 

" I next wrote to my brother James ; and oh, how dif- 
ferently he met my case ! A letter soon came expressing 
his great delight, and telling me that he would not cease 
to pray for me. He was never at any time very fond of 
writing letters, but he then wrote quite lengthily for 
him, and tried to build me up and encourage me to fol- 
low the Lord and to learn to know Him better. He 
used a good deal of persuasion, and took a great deal of 
trouble to induce me to enter the ministry of the Church 
of England, but this did not happen, as I could not see 
my way clearly in that matter. He, however, set me to 
work at once in connection with his meetings ; my part 
was to waylay souls and catch them by guile in order 
that they might be induced to remain to be dealt with 
personally, or to seek an interview with him in his own 
study. Thus a goodly number were brought to the 
Lord. He was particularly apt in dealing with souls, 
and was much used in removing their difficulties and 



JEt.29."] Acts as "Best Man:' 147 

pointing them to a simple acceptance of the Saviour. 
He would frequently say, • Now, don't push them for- 
ward too quickly, or they won't stand and certify that 
the work is real.' But, as a rule, the converts stood 
firmly, and many of them are now experienced Chris- 
tians and workers in the Lord's vineyard. 

" In bygone days our eldest brother, a friend, and 
myself used to meet nearly every day to dine together. 
at half-past one. We were almost sure to get upon the 
subject of religion. It was Jim's delight to come round 
the corner quietly and surprise us all, at the same time 
remarking, ' Here you are again, upon the same old 
subject ! ' And right heartily would he come and join 
in. He delighted to enter into any conversation that 
was connected with the salvation of souls and the love 
of Jesus Christ, his Saviour." 

Hannington had a great deal of the boy in him still. 
He came to Sandgate at the end of 1875 to act as " best 
man " at my own marriage, and his spirits were exuber- 
antly overflowing. When first he had been informed of 
my engagement, he had been full of the idea that the 
safest course for a servant of God was celibacy, and he 
had written to me, not without austerity, entreating me 
to beware, lest I should allow an earthly affection to 
usurp the highest Love. Now, however, he was dis- 
posed to regard this my matrimonial alliance with 
greater leniency — a leniency to which the following 
entry in his diary, made about a fortnight previously, 
may afford some clue : " Called for the first time upon 
Mrs. Hankin-Turvin at Leacrofts; she and her daughter 
come to my church, and are earnest Christian people." 
It is possible, then, that this first interview with Miss 
Hankin-Turvin had somewhat modified the severity of 



148 James Hannington. [A.D. 1875 

his views. Or perhaps he had satisfied himself that my 
intended wife was not — to use his own expression — " a 
daughter of Belial." 

At all events, he threw himself into the preparations 
for this wedding with an impetuous zeal that was de- 
lightful to behold, even if it were at times somewhat 
embarrassing. He insisted upon helping me to pack 
my boxes, though — amid laughter, teasing, and constant 
fresh discoveries of how the various articles might be 
better arranged, or rammed down so as to occupy less 
space — the packing made but slow progress. When, at 
last, my dear wife and I were seated in our reserved 
carriage, booked for London, and, thinking that we had 
seen the last of the wedding party, were trying to look 
as though we were not newly married, a face beaming 
with excitement suddenly appeared at the window, and 
our irresistible " best man " bestowed his parting bless- 
ing upon us, covering us with shame and confusion be- 
fore the grinning porters, with a well-directed handful 
of rice. 

At the end of 1875 Hannington accepted the Secreta- 
ryship of the Hurstpierpoint Temperance Association. 
Into this new work he threw himself with characteristic 
energy. He writes : " I am about the only teetotaler in 
Hurst"; but, nothing daunted by the fact that total ab- 
stinence was evidently very unpopular, he determined 
that he would wage war to the knife against drink. Mr. 
Boxall tells how, during the first year, only four pledges 
were taken, and how, as Hannington persevered, in spite 
of the most determined opposition, the number of ab- 
stainers gradually increased. 

He says : " At that time there was a great deal of 
drunkenness in the village ; no less than seven public- 
houses were turning out their weekly average of l finished 



fet. 29.] 



Temperance at Hurst. 



149 



articles.' One of the first acts of the Bishop we can re- 
member was on one Christmas evening, when, in walk- 
ing up the street, we saw one of those notorious charac- 
ters floundering helplessly in the miry road. Together 
with the Bishop, we were able to drag the poor fellow 
along to his home, but in a most pitiable condition, 
being almost encased in mud. Being brought much in 
contact with drink by visiting among the working 
classes, his ardent nature was roused into earnestness 
and zeal, and, in Bible-class and pulpit, he vigorously 
advocated total abstinence. He never went about with- 
out a pledge-book. There was no popular sympathy, 
and those who signed were only met by the derisive cry, 
'Jle's joined the saints.' This merely roused him to 
greater exertion, more meetings were held, teas were 
given in the mission-room, every inducement was held 
out. The coldness and indifference of the people on 
this subject distressed him greatly. He frankly told his 
congregation that this was the hardest work he had ever 
taken in hand." * 

The publicans could not have adopted a worse course 
than that of stirring up opposition to his crusade. They 
did not know their man if they thought that they could 
either put him down or tire him out. He rose to meet 
a difficulty with the keen joy of a strong swimmer who 
delights to bathe in the breakers and shakes aside their 
force with a rich enjoyment of the contest. He went 
about everywhere among the mockers, and the more 
serious opponents of his views alike, with that good- 
natured persistence of his which so often proved irre- 
sistible. " No man could call another a ' fuddler ' as he 



* Art. in Church of England Temperance Chronicle, April 24, 



150 James Hannington. [A.D. 1876. 

could. With the utmost good humor he would say, 
'Ah ! you're another old fuddler ; won't you come and 
write in my little book ? ' He had a well-known sign 
which he used to make ; holding up his left hand he 
would write with his fingers upon it. Every one knew 
that it meant, ' Come and sign the pledge.' " * 
We may insert here a later entry : 

" Preached for the temperance cause in the Church of 
the Annunciation, a ritualistic church in Brighton. A 
crucifix hanging over my head. There was an extra- 
ordinary gathering. People of all denominations had 
flocked to see what I should do, and whether I should 
be true to my colors. Wherever I looked I saw some- 
body whom I knew. I preached from 1 Tim. v. 23, and 
as I gave out the text, * Take a little wine/ I thought I 
saw some of them look terrified; but I went on to show 
that my brother had a stronger claim upon me than my 
stomach ! " 

At last the time appointed by the Bishop of Exeter 
drew to a close, and in June, 1876, Hannington went to 
Chichester to pass his final examination for Priest's 
Orders. He writes : 

" There is a marked difference in tone between the 
Chichester and Exeter examinations. Here the tone is 
much more spiritual. 

"June St/i. — Two of our number disappeared this 

morning. One, , with whom I was at school, and 

with whom I fought and thrashed ! 

" glh. — Examination .finished. I have been highly 
complimented by all the examiners, five in number, and 

* Art. in Church of England Temperance Chronicle, April 24, 
1886. 



JEt. 29.] 



The Key to his Character, 



151 



told that I have come out at the top of the list. Thank 
God ! It is a lift after my hard experience at Exeter, 
for which I can never consider that I was to blame. 

" 10th. — (Shall I quote it? Yes; for that which ren- 
dered him so incomprehensible to certain matter-of-fact 
and unsympathetic minds, who had no understanding 
of the unconventional, is just that quality which so 
specially endears his memory to his friends — I mean 
that light-hearted boyishness which he retained side by 
side with his purposeful manhood — and this extract 
affords a kind of key to his character. Here it is) : 
"Saturday, the loth.—A day of rest. I nested in the 
Bishop's garden, and round the belfry tower for swift's 
eggs." I confess that I do not envy the man who can 
read this extract with contemptuous disapproval, or 
who can suppose that the writer of it meditated less, or 
spent a less profitable day after his Ordination exam- 
ination, than if he had confined himself to a respectable 
promenade within the limits of the gravel paths. 

"Sunday, the nth. — Procession from Palace to Ca- 
thedral. Dean preached an excellent sermon, and the 
whole service, though exhaustingly long, was impress- 
ively performed. Afternoon, Burgon preached again ; 
I had tea and supper at the Deanery, and went for a 
long walk with the Dean, who is more eccentric than 
ever. 

" Sept. 13th. — Opened a meeting in my coach-house " 
(this was the transformed stable and coach-house, hence- 
forth to be a mission-room), " and invited the first time 
only those to whom I believe the Word has been blessed." 
(Here follows a list of names.) "My brother Joseph 
spoke. 

" Oct. 4th. — Started a Mother's Meeting, the first ever 
held in Hurst. 



152 James Hannington. [A.D. 1876. 

"6th„ — Commenced a Women's Bible-Class. May the 
Lord bless these efforts ! 

"nth. — About sixty present at the Men's Bible-Class. 
I am taking St. John's Gospel regularly through. 

" 14M. — Started a Saturday Night Prayer-Meeting for 
men, and prayed earnestly that it might continue. 

"Nov. 16th. — Went into Brighton to Bowker's and Hop- 
kins' meeting. Perhaps I heard selfishly, but I did not 
get what I expected." 

The following letter may here be quoted with the re- 
minder that it was written in a chatty way to his wife, 
and that the language used is, as one might suppose, 
wholly unguarded : 

" I have had a letter from Jos, the result of a conver- 
sation with Beatrice about ' Convention ' views. I am 
evidently regarded as very grovelling and in the mire, 
but I fail to see that there is any practical difference 
between us as to the results of faith. With regard to 
the possession of perfect peace by a believer, we are 
quite agreed. So also with regard to rejoicing always. 
But with regard to bonds,* Jos suffers as much as I do. 
I only put the clock in front of him so that he might 
not exceed the hour, and it put him in such fearful 
bondage that he could scarcely speak. And if brother 

P happened to come in during his meeting his 

bonds were endless. The only difference that I can see 
between us is that he says : ' Sit still and believe, and it 
will come to pass '; while I say, 'Up and be doing while 

* " Bonds " or " bondage " in Hannington 's vocabulary always 
meant want of freedom in speaking, praying, or preaching. He 
was "in bondage" when anything weighed upon his spirits or 
prevented him from launching himself unrestrainedly into his 
subject. 



JEt. 29.] Engaged to be Married. 153 

you believe.' .... I must say I enjoy the uphill, strug- 
gling path most of all." 

Hannington was present, after this, at more than one 
Conference. He was in perfect sympathy with the aims 
of the good and holy men who spoke at the meetings 
alluded to above. Their teaching was the daily practice 
of his life. But he was essentially a man of active, 
fighting faith, and some of the disciples, in preaching 
what was then regarded as a new doctrine, no doubt 
went beyond their masters, and exaggerated their gospel 
of a restful life into a repudiation of that uphill strug- 
gle which Hannington knew to be a very practical 
thing. 

"Jan. ist, 1877. — The New Year breaks in upon me. 
How ? How ? Under a new epoch I am engaged to be 
married. I, who have always been supposed, and have 
supposed myself, to be a confirmed bachelor, cross, 
crabbed, ill-conditioned ! What a change in the appear- 
ance of everything does this make ! It, however, seems 
to fill me with the things of this world, and to make 
me cold and dead. Lord Jesus, grant that we may love 
Thee each succeeding hour more abundantly. Amen, 
amen." 

So Hannington commences his diary for the year 
1877. The allusion to an approaching marriage is ex- 
plained by another entry which occurs shortly before : 

"Dec. 26th. — Proposed to Blanche Hankin-Turvin, and 
was accepted." 

Miss Hankin-Turvin was the second daughter of Cap- 
tain James Michael Hankin-Turvin, formerly of Terlings 
Park, Gilston, Hertfordshire. She and her mother were 
at this time residing at Leacrofts, Hurstpierpoint, and 



i$4 James Hannington. [A.D. 1877. 

were in the habit of attending St. George's Chapel. 
Hannington had from the first recognized Miss Hankin- 
Turvin's fitness for the duties of a clergyman's wife, and 
admired her sterling qualities and earnestness of char- 
acter. This before he had any intention of giving up 
his independence as a bachelor. He was not one of 
those men who are dependent upon the ministrations of 
women. He was complete in himself, handy and help- 
ful, quite capable of managing his own household. 
Full of ways and habits of his own, too, which he was 
aware might not commend themselves to any wife. His 
heart, moreover, was not disengaged; his work was his 
wife; in a very real sense he was wedded to it. He 
scrutinized jealously any other affection which threat- 
ened to make an exacting demand upon his time and 
attention. 

He was, however, beginning to discover that a bach- 
elor clergyman is subject to certain disadvantages from 
which his married brother is free. He is liable to an- 
noyances and hindrances well known to every popular 
celibate. He may easily find himself in positions of 
much awkwardness and difficulty. He was not able to 
avail himself of opportunities of access to certain classes 
of people to whom he would have had ready entrance as 
husband and father. He had also convinced himself, by 
observation of other married couples, that a wife who 
was like-minded with her husband might be to him the 
most effective help in his work that it was possible for 
him to obtain. 

When these experiences coincided with his own strong 
inclination, and added force to the pleadings of his 
heart, he delayed no longer, but, as we have seen, pro- 
posed to a lady whom he had every reason to believe 
would satisfy his most exacting requirements. 



JEt. 29.] His Marriage. 155 

In this he was not disappointed. His wife became his 
second self. She entered with all her steadfast heart 
and soul into his many works. She softened in him 
what needed to be softened, strengthened him to perse- 
vere when she saw that he was down-hearted, encour- 
aged him in his favorite scientific pursuits, bore with a 
bright and gentle patience those vagaries of his which 
might have proved a severe trial to one less wise than 
herself, submitted to be teased with unvarying good 
humor, never let him feel that he was reined in, curbed, 
or hampered, exacted no demonstrations of affection 
from him other than he freely gave, ever quietly help 
ing, never complaining or obtruding selfish wants of her 
own to hinder him from making any sacrifice, she con- 
ferred upon him the greatest blessing which God has in 
store for a man in this world — a good wife. 

" So these were wed, and merrily rang the bells." 

The marriage was celebrated on February the 10th in 
the parish church. The service was choral. Five cler- 
gymen, including the Rector and Mr. Bell Hankin, as- 
sisted at the ceremony. The church, was crowded from 
end to end, all Hannington's own flock who were able 
being present to witness the act. He and his bride made 
their way through a long lane of warm-hearted and en- 
thusiastic friends to their carriage. With his character- 
istic love of making himself out to be as odd as possible, 
he writes : " I walked down to church with my umbrella, 
and called in as usual at Mr. Mitten's. In the vestry I 
remarked that if ever I was married again I would have 
another choral wedding, and finally I jumped first into 
the carriage, and left the bride to follow ! " 

The first letters to his wife were written four or five 
months later. These letters abound with the peculiar 



156 James Hannington. [A.D. 1877. 

pet names which he was wont to bestow upon all those 
for whom he cared. Some of these were in sound any- 
thing but complimentary, but his wife and his friends 
knew how to read between the lines. Those to his wife 
commence variously : " My dearest Wine," or " My very 
dear Bochim," "My dearest Missus," "My dear Bellin- 
zona," and, now and again, " My dearest Heart's Belov- 
ed." They are full of allusions which require almost a 
glossary to make them comprehensible to a stranger. 
Hannington had a vocabulary of his own which was ex- 
pressive enough to those who held the key to it. 

He and his friend May spent a few weeks during June 
in the Scilly Islands. From there he writes : 

"My dearest, — It has been a great relief to me to 
think to-day that you have heard of our whereabouts. 
I expect day after day Betsy in heat and dust toiled up 
and got a thump for not bringing back any news. How- 
ever, now you will be satisfied. I received two letters 
from you last night, one with the news of poor dear 
John's death. I was very cut up about it, though I 
ought not to have been, for it was a wonderful mercy. 
Trained for a few weeks in the school of affliction, and 
then taken home to Glory. You may tell Mrs. Parsons, 
if you will, that I hope to preach a funeral sermon on 
the Sunday evening after my return, that is July 15th, if 
nothing prevents. 

"Things are going on very smoothly here with us. 
The weather is excellent. The Botany first-rate, and 
the Beetles moderately good. There are fewer than 
anybody might expect, though I have taken several ; 
quite enough to occupy my spare moments. Yesterday 
Mr. Atkin took us over to the island of St. Agnes. We 
met there two celebrated old botanists. I addressed 



JEt. 29.] Letters to his Wife. 157 

them : 'Are you Mr. Ralfs ? ' ' Yes.' ' Are you Mr. Cur- 
now?' 'Yes. However do you know us?' 'Mitten,' 
said I. ' Are you Mitten ?' * No,' I replied. ' Oh, dear, 
what a pity ! ' said they. I told them that Mitten had 
asked me to call upon them, and we got on very well 
together, and they pointed out Arthrolobium Ebrac, 
Trif., Suffoc, Glom., and a new Lavatera that Ralfs had 
just found. I cannot be too thankful for this pleasant 
change, and only wish that you were a more scamble- 
inous Tomboy.* 

" And now for one anecdote. A man showed us the 
way up to our hotel when we arrived — our two selves 
and two medical men. The landlady, meeting him at 
the door, said, ' How many have you brought ? ' ' Four, 
Mum.' 'Any ladies?' 'No.' ' Oh, thank goodness !!! ' 

"After this we dined very comfortably together. 

" My kindest love to my dear Ma. I hope you have 
not been frightened. A thousand kisses from 
"Your very affectionate 

" Husband." 

His diary supplements the above allusion to the two 
botanists : 

"J u ty 4^- — Explored St. Martin's. Met again the old 
gentlemen whom the boatmen contemptuously describe 
as old herbalists, and told us that one poisoned himself 
last year, and it took all the doctors in Penzance to set 
him right ! Found them gathering Ophiog : Lusitan. 

" $th. — Sailed to Western Islands. Landed on Gorre- 
gan in search of greater black-back gulls. The Schiller 
was wrecked near these rocks ; and what a hideous mass 
of rocks it is ! On every side you see ugly black heads 

* Mrs. Hannington was not then strong enough to accompany 
her husband. 



158 James Hannington. [A.D. 1877. 

peeping up. They require the pen of Virgil to describe 
them. 

" nth. — Left Penzance with F. G. May. I secured a 
carriage by putting an umbrella in the corner. On my 
return, I found that an old lady and gentleman, without 
observing my umbrella, had taken my seat. Presently 
the old lady said, ' My dear, that is an umbrella behind 
you.' It was produced and carefully examined. ' Most 
miserable old thing ! give it to the guard.' 'I beg your 
pardon,' I intervened ; ' that is mine.' " 

On Nov. 8th he writes : " Paid a visit to Darley Abbey, 
and stayed with Miss Evans, ' the Clerical Hotel of the 
Midland Counties.' The dear old lady seems much the 
same. She is now about ninety-one years old. The 
servants show their age more than their mistress." 

The end of November found him in Atwick, where he 
and his brother Joseph conducted a short Mission. He 
writes : 

" My dearest Wifie, — To begin at the beginning, I 
had better go back again to Darley. I found things in 
rather a sad plight — such a number of backsliders 
among the young people — and I could not get to see 
any of them ; they kept out of my way. I stopped over 
Friday, and had a nice meeting of old friends in the 
evening, just about forty, but all believers. Rhoda just 
been pushed in ; but it won't do, I expect. 

" I met Jos at Hull, and came on to Atwick with him ; 
we had a prayer-meeting to begin with. Only two or 
three came. I was very tired, and spoke very feebly. 
Jos had got on a mackintosh, in which he rustled and 
fidgeted so incessantly, the men who prayed shrieked so 
terrifically, that I burst out into one hysterical giggling 
fit — fortunately not visibly. But what an awful begin- 



#t. 30.] 



An Invitation. 



159 



ning ! I was very much cast down. Sunday morning, 
full of doubts and fears, but was enabled to speak more 

at liberty than I have ever been before Rhoda 

squeezed in by Jos, but, of course, I can't receive.* .... 
I am in bondage still, and the more so as Jos keeps me 
laughing nearly all day with his wonderful sayings and 

remarks We hope Rhoda will do. Everybody 

receives readily but myself, and you know I am always 

rather unready to receive I need not tell you both 

to pray — you are doing that. 

" Your very, very, very, very affectionate 

" Husband." 

In his diary he writes : " A man turned up from an- 
other parish, and walked all round the neighborhood, 
literally compelling the people to come in. Each ser- 
vice saw more and more, with a small but yet very 
blessed result. God be praised for even one ! Oh, the 
value of one soul ! it is priceless." 

I find a letter at this time from the Rev. J. Dawson, 
who had left Darley Abbey, and was then Vicar of St. 
Peter's, Clifton, inviting Hannington to take part in a 

* This word " receive " was one of Hannington 's own vocabu- 
lary. He was always very cautious of accepting- or " receiving " a 
person as a saved soul upon the bare profession of faith in Christ. 
He liked to wait for the proof in the changed life. His brother Jo- 
seph would rush in triumphantly asserting, " Such an one is saved, 
or is at liberty." To whom James would reply, " Hush, Jos, I can't 
receive in such a hurry." This was especially the case when the 
two brothers were working together, as in this instance. The Rhoda 
referred to is an old servant who has been nearly thirty years in the 
service of the family. She had been often prayed for and pleaded 
with, but remained spiritually dead. During this Mission she was 
brought to the Saviour. Though Hannington feared to " receive " 
her precipitately, her case proved to be a real and abiding one — 
much to the joy of the whole family. 






160 James Hannington. [A.D. 1878. 

Mission to be held in his church in February of the en- 
suing year. He says : 

" We shall want James. We can't do without him. It 
won't be like a Mission without him, so he must come." 

On Sunday, the 2d of December, his first child was 
born ; and on the 6th of January, 1878, was baptized by 
his father under the name of James Edward Meopham. 
In his diary he writes : "I never seemed to enter into 
the Service so much as to-day : \ Thine forever, God of 
love. Hear us from Thy throne above. Thine forever 
may we be, Here and in eternity.'" 

"Jan. 12th. — Saw Mrs. P. H.'s housekeeper. Dying 
of cancer, and now sinking very fast. God, I fully be- 
lieve, has used me here. She could not speak, but knew 
me. When I said, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,' 
the dying face lighted up with joy. 'We shall meet 
again,' I added. She pointed upwards with really 
solemn majesty." 

On the 21st of January, 1878, Hannington took part 
in the Birmingham Mission. The following was his first 
letter to his wife : 

" My dearest Lily, — I hope you arrived safely at 
your Ma's on Monday afternoon, and that you, old Ma, 
and Squaliner Grub * are all quite well. 

" I am thankful to say that I arrived in Birmingham 
quite safely. No adventures on the journey of any kind 
whatever. On my arrival at the Vicarage, I found that 
I was to stay with a friend ; and so, after some dinner, 
I was received by an admirable widow lady, and was 
presently shown into a bedroom as large, I should say, 
as my father's. Four gas brackets flaring ; a fire large 

* The baby ! 



JEt. 30.] Birmingham Mission. 161 

enough to roast an ox ; table, chairs, sofa, etc., etc. ; in 
fact, everything to make me comfortable. At seven 
o'clock I was fetched by the Vicar to go to the Mission 
Hall. Alas ! alas ! my heart rather sunk when we ar- 
rived : an empty room, and various signs of a certain 
dry Churchism. However, after a bit, the room began 
to fill ; but I could see at once the way had not been pre- 
pared. However, I preached with libert}/, and had an 
after-meeting, and tried to get them to stop. The Lord 
directed me to one soul ; as far as I could see, a genuine 
case. I think that there might have been more, but the 
organist got up directly I said that I should now speak 
to any souls who were anxious, and that the rest might 
go, and said that there would be a choir practice ! 

" I never heard such a thing in my life. It is uphill 
work, I foresee. However, we must just go forward, ex- 
pecting a great blessing, and I really cannot but think 
that it will be so. 

" Kindest love to your Ma, and your dear old self. 
" I remain your very affectionate 

" Husband." 

The diary has some references to the above Mission : 

" Sadly interrupted by a huge, tipsy man wedged into 
the middle of a crammed meeting. Nevertheless, the 
Lord gave me immense power, so that I held them to- 
gether in spite of intense interruption. But the strain 
was so great that I afterwards burst into tears." 

" A man professed to be in difficulty because he had 
been told that God came from Teman * (Hab. iii. 3)." 

* Those who have worked among the illiterate poor will not be 
surprised at this entry. It is amazing at what strange difficulties 
they are often stumbled. I have myself met with laboring men 
who were also unable to surmount this verse about God coming 



1 62 James Hannington. [A.D. 1878, 

" A most interesting case ; a young man named ■ 

kept me up till 11.30 p.m." 

Altogether, Hannington's part in the Birmingham 
Mission of 1878 seems to have been a blessed one, and 
his name will be remembered by not a few in that town. 

"Feb. $th. — From a passage I read relating to the 
experience of Moody, I have been led to cry earnestly to 
be much more filled with the Holy Ghost. I have long 
felt that my ministry, my life, my conversation, lacks 
unction. Thou wilt fill me, O my God ! " 

"Feb. 14th. — I pray, and keep praying, for the Holy 
Spirit." 

from Teman ! This was in Surrey. There are certain stock diffi- 
culties which appear to perplex certain classes of minds. The fol- 
lowing is an example of such another: Once, when fishing off 
Hastings, the boatman put to us this question : " Whoin did Cain 
i7iarry%" Many years afterwards, when visiting the Infirmary of 
the Farnham Workhouse, I was brought into contact with a tramp 
who was dying of dropsy. During a somewhat long illness I at- 
tended him very closely. He was almost as ignorant as a heathen. 
The elementary facts of the life of our Lord had to be imparted to 
him as to an infant. But what he heard he received with the sim- 
plicity of a child. He seemed gratefully to accept Christ and His 
Salvation. One morning, when I asked him how he had passed 
the night, he made this wonderful reply : " I was in awful pain, and 
sweat all night. I thought the morning would never come. But 
oh ! I thought to myself I had never yet sweat blood." At last the 
end drew near. He was lying still and almost without power of 
speech. His lips seemed to move, and I bent down my head to 
catch his words. He painfully raised his arm, and drew down my 
ear close to his mouth. I listened with all my might, and these 
were the words I heard slowly and with difficulty uttered : " Can — « 
you — tell — me — who — did — Cain — marry?" I was, I confess, 
startled. But to his simple mind the difficulty was a real one — a 
last temptation whispered into his soul to make him doubt the great 
Salvation. So I gently explained as best I could, and, satisfied 
with the reply, he closed his eyes and died in peace. — Ed. 



^Et. 30.] Aix-les-Bains. 163 

About this time he caught a very severe cold, which 
developed into an attack of rheumatism, by which he 
was completely disabled, and confined to house and bed. 
The doctors, finding that the usual treatment failed, 
recommended a course of baths at Aix-les-Bains, and a 
short residence abroad. 

With his mother-in-law, to whom he was greatly 
attached, to take charge of him, he sailed on May 21st, 
and remained abroad for two months. His unsparing 
expenditure of himself in his work had thoroughly ex- 
hausted his vitality, and it was only by slow degrees 
*hat he recovered his usual elasticity of body and mind. 
He amused himself, and kept his mind from altogether 
stagnating, by compiling a book of rhymes for the chil- 
dren, in which his own adventures, and those of his 
poor mother-in-law, were mercilessly caricatured and de- 
scribed. The latter is always depicted in a monstrous 
coal-scuttle bonnet, and portrayed in every imaginable 
funniest predicament. Her son-in-law was a terrible 
compagnon de voyage for a person who was sensitive about 
appearing afterwards in pen and ink. About himself 
and his baths, he writes to his wife : 

"My dearest Heart's Beloved, — .... Ma has 
told you all about snow mountains and nightingales, 
and the old gentleman whom she took for a commer- 
cial traveller, and couldn't bear, and who turned out 

to be Lord Charles , and then she found out how 

exceedingly interesting his anecdotes were ! So I must 
pass on to give you a little idea of the baths. As 
we take them daily, I am getting quite learned. You 
get up and dress lightly at a few minutes before 
eight. Then, at the establishment, you are seated on a 
wooden stool, and two jets of hot water are let fly at 



164 James Hannington. [A.D. 1878. 

you ; the man asking ' Est-ce bon ? ' meaning, Is the 
water too hot or too cold ? And if you object, and say : 
* I — i — i — t — s — s — b — boiling I ' he says : 'JVon, c'est bon.' 
He then begins to rub and pinch you from head to foot, 
after which he lightfy rubs you with a towel, and then 
rings a bell. At this two men appear with a hooded 
chair, in which is laid a blanket. You enter, and are 
swaddled up tight like a mummy, so tight that you can't 
move. You are told to lean well back, and off you go, 
full tilt, to your hotel. Starting from the baths you go 
down a steep flight of stairs ; the curtains are drawn in 
front so that you cannot see, and you can't move hand 
or foot, and you feel inclined to scream to the men to 
tell them you are going to pitch on your head. One 
morning, as I arrived near my hotel, a conversation took 
place between Fanchette, the maid, and my men. ■ Who 
have you got there ? ■ said she. ' Number Fifteen.' 

' Fifteen ! Why, she .' ■ Tisn't she; it's he.' ' He ! 

Then it's Fourteen' I had told them the wrong number, 
and narrowly escaped being carried into a lady's room ! 
Arriving at the hotel, you have to be got up-stairs, which 
is a somewhat difficult process, and rather t^ing to the 
nerves. The curtains are then drawn back, and you are 
taken up by the shoulders and feet, and lifted like a 
mummy into bed. There you have to lie for about half 
an hour, to produce a re-action, when your housemaid, 
who is a man, comes and unmummies you. I hope that, 
after a bit, I shall be better, but there are not many signs 
yet." 1 

Alpine air, however, and rest of body and mind, soon 
began to tell. On July 21st he accepted a proposal to 
preach at Pontresina. " I did so to see how I stood it. 
I preached from Isaiah liii, 6, to a small, but breathlessly 



/Et. 30.] Popular in the Nursery. 165 

attentive congregation." Ten days later he was back 
once more at Hurst, and ready to renew the fray. 

His note is : "Reached England and Home, finding all 
well, and my precious son much grown." 

One of Hannington's favorite fictions with regard to 
himself was that he had no patience with children, espe- 
cially babies. " O, my gracious; there's that baby again," 
he would say to the indignant mother, when his latest 
arrived nephew or niece was brought in for his inspec- 
tion ; or when paying a visit to another sister-in-law, 
whose husband he was about to join in some distant 
Mission work, "Well, now, I suppose I must see the 
baby " (with an indescribable intonation on the word 
baby), "or its father will be asking me questions about 
it which I can't answer." But whatever the mothers 
may have thought of this profession of indifference to 
their offspring, the children themselves were not to be so 
deceived. They knew better. No one was more popular 
in the nursery than Uncle James. The very children in 
the village would creep up close to him and beg for 
bull's-eyes as he passed. And as for babies, he loved as 
much as many another man to feel their soft little fingers 
clasp around his own — when no one was looking. In a 
letter to his wife, he writes of the baby of the day : " You 
may kiss his little dear face for me." A man who did not 
love children never wrote such an expression as that. 
" His little dear face ! " The baby-face must have been 
in his mind, all dimpled and soft and fresh for a kiss, 
when he wrote the words.* 

* Several years later, after his consecration to the Bishopric, 
while narrating some of his African experiences to a congregation 
at Bath, he made the following statement, than which I cannot 
recall any more touching in its tender simplicity : 

"When far inland, the mail comes in but once a month. Its 



1 66 James Hannington. [A.D. 1878, 

The following extracts from the diary may be given • 

"Sept. 12th. — Visiting one of my parishioners, I was 
asked if God were alive before Jesus Christ, who Paul 
was, and who the Israelites were ! " An ignorance not 
so unusual as some might suppose. "Visited old Mrs. 
Sayers, who lives with two unmarried sons. She is 
ninety ; they both over sixty. She said : ' I boxed Joe's 
ears the other day, and sent him up to bed, as the boy 
was troublesome. There,' she said, 'I forgot they are 
growing up.'" 

"Mr. Dear has left me his Jansenist engravings and 
books ; I became intensely interested in them." 

The reading of these books seems to have revealed 
to Hannington the fact that high-souled purpose and 
true spirituality of mind are to be found among men who 
belong to widely differing schools of thought. He found 
much in the writings of Pascal and the Port-Royalists 
that delighted him. He could not but recognize that 
they too had been taught of God. He says : " I think 
that many of my opinions were slightly modified, and 
my sympathies were enlarged." 

"Very much exercised about preaching the same truths 

arrival is heralded by two gun-shots, fired in quick succession. No 
matter what one may be doing, he leaves his occupation, and 
hurries forward to get a sight of his precious letters. There would 
be some, perhaps, from my brothers, some from friends, always 
one from my wife. But once there was one which, when I saw the 
handwriting, I opened first. It was on a bare half-sheet of paper, 
the lines running this way and that way ; tumbled and soiled ; but 
that one letter I read first, and treasured above all the others. It 
was from my dear little son, and contained but two lines : ' My 
dear Father, — God bless you.' These few words received by me 
in the wilds of Africa were more precious than many a longer 
letter." 



JEt. 31.] A Christmas Party. 167 

Sunday after Sunday. My mind was afterwards directed 
to a doctor who uses the same medicines for the same 
diseases all the year round ; and, again, to the fact that 
we eat and drink the same things day after day and 
year after year." 

On November 23d he conducted a mission at D . 



" Tremendous cautions about what I was to do, and what 
not to do. Above all things not to be excitable. I was 
shown the church, and went up into the pulpit. I took 
hold of it with a strong hand, to try whether the desk 
and sides would stand much knocking about. I per- 
ceived, to my intense amusement, that all this was care- 
fully noted, and produced a feeling of terror as to what 
I was going to do when I preached ; and many further 
hints were given." 

"Dec. 26th. — Gave a Christmas party to men, to keep 
drunkards out of the public-house. About sixty came. 
After prayer and hymns we spent the evening in looking 
at books, microscope, and magic lantern." 

"Jan. 1st, 1879. — I make no resolutions for the coming 
year. I pray for more earnestness, more love, more dili- 
gence, greater regularity, and entire consecration to the 
service of the Lord." 

"On Christmas Day old W. D. was converted, to the 
best of my belief, by the reading of the Collect, Epistle, 
and Gospel." 

" i$th. — The Rector has decided to have a Mission, 
and I have written to Ernest Boys." 

" 2$rd. — Brighton, to meet the Bishop on the question 
of the Mission. Praise God, the Bishop has helped us 
much." 

"Mar. \st. — Mission commenced. The Bishop admin 
istered the Holy Communion to the workers, and in the 



1 68 James Hannington. [A.D. 1879. 

afternoon gave a splendid address, full of Evangelical 
truth." "All through the Mission the services were 
densel)' crowded. On Sunday evening every corner of 
the church was packed, and many went away." 

"Mar. 1 9//Z— Called on Arthur Garbett. He told 
me that the archdeacon was dying, but transcendently 
peaceful." 

"April gt/z. — Introduced to Canon Garbett, who 
preached at the parish church. A splendid disquisition, 
but far above the heads of a country congregation." 

"April 13th. — Easter Day. Piercingly cold, and ground 
covered with snow, which contrasted strangely with the 
Easter decorations. 58 communicants." 



CHAPTER XI. 

HOME MISSION WORK AND PERSONAL DIARY {continued). 

(1279—82.) 

" But, good my brother, 
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, 
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, 
Whilst, like a puft and careless libertine, 
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, 
And recks not his own rede." 

Shakespeare. 

Mr. Scriven came to Hurstpierpoint in May of 1879, 
and spent some time with Hannington, during which 
they made together some interesting architectural tours 
in the neighborhood. Mr. Scriven is an enthusiastic 
architect, and he found in his former pupil an untiring 
and intelligent listener. Everything of this sort inter- 
ested Hannington. He was full of information obtained 
by his acquisitive mind, and stored up by a retentive 
memory in the course of his wanderings. His knowl- 
edge of folklore, of the geological peculiarities, of the 
flora and fauna, and of the local traditions of almost 
every place through which he had passed, made him the 
best of companions. 

He returned with Mr. Scriven as far as Sherborne, 
where the two visited the Abbey Church, and, being 
joined by his old friend and fellow cliff-climber and 
egg-hunter, Mr. F. May, crossed over to Lundy Island 
to spend there his summer holiday. 

And here again we notice how in the midst of his play 
Hannington never seems. to have forgotten what.some 
8 (169) 



170 James Hannington. [A.D. 1879. 

would have called his work. The business of seeking to 
influence souls in behalf of Christ was apparently never 
alien to any of his moods. His diary makes it abun- 
dantly clear that this was not merely the work of his 
life, but the delight of it. It did not occur to him that 
to talk on the subject of religion was "talking shop." 
It was the most natural thing in the world to him to 
converse about those truths which were to himself as 
meat and drink. In the midst of jottings of architect- 
ural trips and Lundy Island clamberings we find such 
entries as the following: 

" The Lord has led me to speak to Harry G., and has 
brought him to the knowledge of the truth. Edwin A., 
too, has been gradually led to believe in Jesus." 

There are some excellent persons whose society be- 
comes oppressive, and their conversation a source of 
nervous apprehension to everybody. They always ap- 
pear to be lying in wait for an opportunity. Whatever 
may be the theme of discussion, whether weighty or 
light, every one instinctively knows that they will turn 
it by and by into a " profitable " channel. Their com- 
panion for the time being is made to feel that they lie 
at the catch. Whatever he may say will, he is sure, be 
used as a handle upon which to fasten some argument 
which makes for religion. He is put upon the defensive. 
These good people are, he suspects, only affecting to 
take an interest in his sports, pursuits, opinions, or gen- 
eral affairs in order that they may bring the conversation 
round to the " one thing needful," and spring upon him 
the question whether or not he is saved. 

Hannington was not one of this kind. The boys never 
slipped round the corner when they saw him coming, or 
trembled when they found that they were committed to 



iEt. 31.] 



A Man among Men. 



171 



a tete-a-tete with him, lest he should take them at a dis- 
advantage and pin them with some question which they 
were ill-disposed to contemplate and wholly unprepared 
to answer. 

At Mission times, when everybody knew what to ex- 
pect from him, he would, no doubt, endeavor, both 
openly and by strategy, to get to close quarters with 
the consciences of young and old, rich and poor. A 
friend might even find himself unceremoniously pushed 
into the presence of the Missioner to be " dealt with." 
But, as a rule, Hannington was full of real wisdom in 
his intercourse with the world. His interest in the 
sports of the lads and lassies w T as quite sincere and un- 
affected ; he made them feel that he was a big boy him- 
self, and loved fun for fun's sake. So also with the eld- 
ers, he came among them not merely as a prophet, but 
as a man to whom nothing that pertained to men was 
indifferent. 

There was no need for him to pull in the subject of 
religion, as it were, by the shoulders, and consciously 
and painfully lead every subject of conversation up to 
it. All his life, — his amusement as well as his labor, — 
was permeated by his faith in the Unseen. 

" He had perceived the presence and the power 
Of Greatness ; and deep feeling had impressed 
Great objects on his mind, with portraiture 
And color so distinct, that on his mind 
They lay like substances, and almost seemed 
To haunt the bodily sense." * 

Thus it came quite naturally to him, without preaching, 
to speak to another of the eternal world, and of that 
City of which he was himself a citizen. And men, too, 



* Wordsworth. 



172 James Hannington. [A.D. 1879. 

in stress of soul, would come to him, not as to a mentor 
but as to a brother, who having passed through similar 
times of perplexity, and being now in possession of the 
spiritual blessing after which they sought, could help 
them with his counsel. 

On Lundy Island the two friends proceeded to shake 
off years and respectability, and to behave like untamed 
school-boys loosed for a holiday. In one of his letters 
home he says : 

" We are not failing to enjoy ourselves We 

watch the tremendous seas, and, like young children, 
venture on to small rocks as the sea is coming up, and 
laugh at the unlucky wight who remains too long and 
gets splashed. We bathe too. The other day I was 
knocked down by a wave and bruised my knee. Beetles 
are rather out of favor. I hope, my dear, that you are 
quite well, and have not disappointed your eyes out 
over the various posts that ljave brought no letters. 
. . . . I often think of sweet Gashum, and I send him 
and you the most tremendous amount of kisses 

" Oh, my dear, the rats have eaten my nailey boots. 
Who would have thought of it ! But it was a judgment ! 
Those boots have been nothing but trouble. The fact 
was that my Pa gave them to me to give away, and I 
appropriated them to my own use ! They've leaked. 
They've got wet and refused to get dry. They've been 
slippery on the shore, slippery on the rocks. I was car- 
rying them through a pool of water ; a wave came, and 
to save my boots I lost my balance, and fell and hurt 
my knee, and now the rats ! yes, the rats. Never de- 
fraud the poor of a pair of boots again ! Perhaps the 
boots are the Jonahs that keep us bound here.* But I 

* They were detained for ten days beyond their time by rough 
weather, during which no boat could cross from the mainland. 



JEt. 31.] Roughing It. 173 

can't give them away now. Whether you shall send the 
other pair by Mr. Mitten or not, I will leave until I land. 
Alas ! that will not be to-day. We can see over to In- 
stow, and nothing is coming. 

"An hour or two later. The skiff is reported. We 
are in the greatest glee. So good-bye. A thousand 
kisses, and many to dearest little Gashum." 

" Gashum," of course, is the baby. Why so called I 
shall not be rash enough to attempt to guess, but Han- 
nington nicknamed all those whom he loved. It was a 
special mark of his affection. " Gashum " is mentioned 
in all the letters of this date in ever-varying terms of 
endearment. In another sentence he says, " I hope dear 
litrie baby is quite well. One thing I am quite certain 
about, and that is that he does not miss his Gogum." 

From Ilfracombe these two walked through much of 
North Devon, seeking out places of architectural inter- 
est. When they arrived at Bude, two hot, dusty, and 
travel-stained pedestrians, without a decent show ot 
baggage of any kind, and walked up to the hotel, they 
were received with scant civility. Hannington looked 
tramp-like and unpromising. The innkeeper eyed him 
and was not cordial. He says, " This amused us far 
more than if we had been received as great men in dis- 
guise. I enjoy seeing every side of life." 

Hannington and Mark Tapley would have been birds 
of one feather. But it is certain that that prince of 
body-servants would not have remained long in his em- 
ploy. He would have felt that there was no room for 
the development of his special talent. 

The diary continues : 

"July 21st. — Walked to Shermanbury. The church, I 
am told, was originally the squire's stable, and I can 



174 James Hannington. [A.D. 1879. 

well believe it. The water was so high on the road that 
I had to wait until a farmer came along and drove me 
over, but, coming back, I had to strip. It was four feet 
deep on the road, an unknown thing in the middle of 
summer." 

One need not pity him. Had he had to swim across 
with his clothes on his head he would, I have little 
doubt, have preferred it. 

" 2%th. — Found my great-grandfather's tomb in New 
Shoreham Church." 

When Hannington returned home he proceeded to 
impart to his young men some of the architectural lore 
which he had acquired. He seldom failed in quickly 
interesting others in what interested himself. On the 
Bank Holiday he took a party of them to Three Bridges, 
and showed them some tine old churches. He says : 
" My young Christians take a very intelligent interest 
in architecture, scenery, and botany. I cannot but feel 
that such things expand their mind." 

The following entry occurs for August 8th : 

" Went into Brighton to hear Dr. many of 

whose sermons I have read, and some of which I have 
admired. But why did I go to hear him! He was about 
on a par with a third-rate actor. I was wofully disap- 
pointed ; although, after I got over the roughness of 
his accent, I liked him better. His power seems to lie 
in his voice. If, for instance, he says the word weeping, 
he makes the word weep ; but I am sorry that I heard 
him." 

On August 26th a little daughter was born, whom he 
named Caroline Scriven. " God be praised for all His 
mercies ! " 



JEt. 32.] Olla Podrida. 175 

"Oct. 18///. — Last week I gave notice that if anybody 
liked to bring me half a dozen of any sort of vegetable, 
I would put them in the church for our harvest festival, 
and on Monday send them to London to be distributed 
in poor districts. The response has been far beyond my 
expectation. Things came in all day, and on Monday 
four large hampers were sent to Hambledon of Drury 
Lane and Fegan of Deptford." * 

The manner in which he recognized the direct leading 
of God is illustrated by the following : 

"Nov. 20th. — How the Lord directs our paths ! I had 
said, I will have a rest this afternoon, and then some- 
thing said to me, ' The Lord has work for you that you 
do not know of yet.' Dinner was half an hour late, 
which resulted in my being in the house later than 
usual, and receiving an immediate summons to a dying 
woman, whom I pointed to the Saviour." 

On April 24, 1880, Hannington writes : 

" Ernest Boys arrived for a revisiting Mission. The 
other end of the parish has received him coldly, so we 
at St. George's opened our doors and received a blessing, 
although there was nothing of great external interest to 
record." 

"May ^rd. — Got hold of J. Q., who boldly rejected the 
Gospel." 

" 13///. — Had a tremendous rowing — I can call it noth- 

* The Parish Magazine of the Drury Lane Mission Church has 
the following reference to this gift: "The congregation of St. 
George's increase their offerings to the poor folk of our Mission 
every year. All honor to them ! This year they have sent us 
vegetables, fruit, and flowers. We simply danced for joy at the 
sight of 8 cwt. of choice produce. They must have a glorious min- 
ister over them, for ' Like priest, like people.' " 



iy6 James Hannington. [A.D. 1880. 

ing else — from a neighboring clergyman, the root of 
whose grievance was that one of his parishioners was 
converted at our Mission." 

" 23rd. — I could not help noticing the curious mix- 
ture in our congregation to-day. Two Unitarians, two 
Roman Catholics, Ritualists, Wesleyans, Calvinists, a 
Quaker, besides Congregationalists and open Plymouth 
Brethren." 

In July, Hannington and Mr. Mitten, the botanist, 
started together to spend their holidays by the Lakes of 
Killarney. They spent their time hunting for mosses, 
much to their mutual satisfaction. 

On Sunday, the 18th, Hannington preached at Bally- 
brach. "It struck me," he says, "that the Saxon was 
not very acceptable to anybody except the Rev. B. An- 
derson, who escaped from the sound of his own Voice. 
They appeared to me to be ready to hear of the sins of 
the Roman Catholics, but never dreamt that Protestants 
were sinners too, and didn't want to hear it. I may have 
been mistaken in this supposition, but I think not." 

"Visited Muckross Abbey, and found an honest man. 
His compact, nominal as I thought, was not to take 
money. He made himself most pleasant, and I offered 
him something as one does to a railway porter. No ! 
He thanked me affectionately, said that few of the hun- 
dreds he showed over the place offered him anything. 
These he cursed for their meanness from the bottom of 

his heart, but he would not take a farthing When 

we left Killarney, I saw at the station a leave-taking. I 
never did see such a scene of tears, and kisses, and sobs, 
amounting to howls. Up rushes one and kisses the 
man who is departing on both cheeks. ' I don't know 
you personally,' he says, ' but shure, I'm a namesake of 



JEt. 32.] Lost in a Bog. iyy 

your wife's.' I don't know how many miles he had not 
come just to kiss him. In an open third-class carriage 
they were talking very freely. One man confessed 
plainly that he thought killing a landlord was no break- 
ing of the 'tin' commandments." 

On his return to England, Hannington met Mr. F. 
May, and spent a short time with him. They started, 
one day, to walk across Dartmoor, and getting befogged 
lost their way. They soon fell into a bog, and were in 
considerable peril. Hannington was equal to the emer 
gency. He says : " When in the worst place I kept up 
F.'s drooping spirits by solemnly pulling my tooth-brush 
out of my pocket and cleaning my teeth. The shout of 
laughter at my composure, and the breathing-time it 
gave us, pulled us together, and we safely crossed a 
dreadfully dangerous place. Arrived at Prince Town, 
and thence to Tavistock, twenty-two miles, where we 
caught the train and proceeded to South Petherwyn." 

The following extract is touching : " How little there 
seems in my diary about my wife. Her incapacity to 
walk much, or to travel, causes us to go out together so 
seldom. It is often a cause of regret to me that it 
should be so. But while I am at play she is at work, 
and visits much in the parish among the poor, and al- 
most exclusively among them." 

"I have this year preached 158 times, besides Bible- 
Classes. Last year, 136 times." 

The next entry in the diary attests in a very remark- 
able manner the sincerity of this man's life, while it 
throws a strong light upon his complex character. 
Amidst all his busy restlessness, there was in him a 
strong desire after quietude. 

Nirvana had no charms for such a nature as his. His 
8* 



178 James Hannington. [A.D. 1881, 

idea of the beatific life was not even the enjoyment of 
green pastures by the side of still waters — if, at least, 
he had been compelled to sleep there and dream forever. 
He displayed much self-knowledge when he wrote, "I 
enjoy the uphill, struggling path most of all." But, like 
every true-souled man who has listened to the voice of 
God, and whose spirit has enjoyed the delight of com- 
munion with the Highest, he longed intensely after a 
life in which all remaining hindrances to intercourse 
with the Divine Spirit should be removed. There were 
times when he felt that just to drink in the Love of God, 
and to receive the communications of His Will, would 
satisfy all the cravings of his nature, while it exercised 
to the utmost every faculty within him. He sometimes 
was inclined to look upon those very recreations of his 
which all his friends knew to be so absolutely necessary 
as safeguards against the over-strain of his excitable 
nervous system, in the light of hindrances to a perfect 
walk with God. Even the active interest which he took 
in the work of his parish and its manifold details seemed 
to him sometimes to clash with that pure love of God 
which should be the motive and mainspring of all en- 
deavor. 

O man of true and simple * soul, all who have known 
what it is to long that they might flee away and be at 
rest — at rest from themselves — will sympathize with what 
you say : 

" 1881. Jan. $rd. — Walked with Cyril Gordon and 
M. Han kin to Cowfold, and went over the Monastery. 
It is a huge place. It had the most extraordinary effect 
upon me. It set me longing for a monastic life. I think, 
probably, a reactionary feeling after a long spell of hard 

* ev $ 66aoq ovk ion — John i. 47. 



JEt. 33.] A Monk! 179 

work. I exclaimed, ' Lord, let me spend and be spent 
for Thee.' " 

A monk ! A monk of the Francois Xavier type he 
might have been. None other. And, indeed, of Xavier, 
allowing for differences of creed and education, he often 
reminds one. The same simple single-mindedness, the 
same fiery, impetuous zeal, the same scorn of personal 
discomforts, the same indifference to luxury and con- 
tempt of danger, the same childlike, unreasoning ac- 
ceptance of the truth as it was revealed to their own 
hearts, and the same magnetic power of communicating 
their faith to others, characterized both these missionary 
pioneers. 

Had he lived in still earlier times he might have been 
a Knight Templar, and, with virgin heart and body, 
have wielded a good lance for the honor of Christ and 
His Church. But a monk whose life must be spent in 
fast, vigil, and mechanical prayer, who shuts himself off 
from the striving of the sin-steeped, perishing world in 
order that he may the better save his own soul ! Never ! 

He continues: "That night I had forty-two men pres- 
ent at my Bible-Class. Shut up in a monastery that 
could not be. These Franciscans have no contact with 
the outer world." 

In the outer world we next find him — hard at work as 
ever, and full of it. He had undertaken to conduct the 
Services in Holy Trinity Church in connection with the 
Blackheath Mission. His diary reports : 

"Feb. iSt/i. — Arrived at Holy Trinity Vicarage, Black- 
heath. I am advertised to take twenty-seven Services in 
eight or nine days, and they are pleading for more. 
'As thy day thy strength will be.' " 

" 19M. — Holy Communion at St. John's. Met dear 



180 James Hannington. [A.D. 1881. 

Latham, of Matlock, who greatly encouraged me and 

strengthened my hands. Mr. understands nothing 

about Missions, and is inclined to be obstructive. After- 
noon went to hear Bishop Thorold. He preached a 
magnificent sermon to Mission workers. Evening, gave 
an address to workers myself. About sixty present, 
which encouraged me greatly." 

He wrote home, saying : 

" I heard an address from the Bishop of Rochester, a 
most magnificent sermon, touching on all points of the 
Mission question. I was afterwards introduced to him, 
and felt pleased that I had asked for his permission and 
benediction." 

On the 28th he continues : 

" For the last eight days I have been incessantly on 
the move, so much so that I have been unable to keep 
any record. It was more than hard work, more than 
uphill, and yet very blessed. I preached four times one 
day, and three times the next, alternately, making thirty 
times in all." 

The next entry may be quoted as a hint to those who 
invite clergymen to come amongst them and undertake 
exhausting labors, with difficulty leaving their own 
home work, and returning to it spent and nerve-worn, 
and who forget that there are such things as expenses 
in connection with travel : 

" I was put to ^4 expenses, and dear old Mr. , 

just as I was leaving, said : ' You will let me pay your 
cab fare to the station ? ' This was the first word on 
the subject, and the evident simplicity and good faiih 
of the dear old man quite took my breath away. ' No,' 



^t- 33.1 Sympathetic and Sincere. 181 

said I, ' I will pay it.' However, he insisted on my tak- 
ing eighteenpence." 

Most men in such circumstances would have replied : 
" Pray do not trouble to pay my cab, and I will send 
you an account of the sum total of my expenses when I 
reach home." But that was not Hannington's way. 
Money was not unimportant to him at this time, as his 
fixed private income did not expand with his family. 
But he suffered in silence, and the only allusion to this 
little episode is to be found in his private diary. 

"April ijt/i, Easter Day. — Ninety-four communicants. 
When I came here first I found only twenty-four or 
thirty." 

The next entry affords an instance of the manner in 
which his friends were accustomed to lean upon his 
rugged sincerity when they needed real sympathy : 

"April 22nd. — Telegram from the Rev. to come 

instantly. When I arrived I heard that his wife had just 

been found dead. dreadfully cut up; telegraphed 

to me for Christian sympathy." 

" 2\th. — Preached from Isa. xlix. 15, without especial 
reference to the sad event. In the midst of the sermon 
I heard an agonized burst of tears which I thought pro- 
ceeded from one of the s, touched by the reference 

to a mother's love. Never did I preach in such mental 
distress, such exquisite agony of mind. I scarce strug- 
gled through." 

" May 2$rd. — Visited my father on his yacht at Shore- 
ham. Afterwards found to my great delight Trigonium 
Stellatum." 

On May 25th his third child was born, whom he 
named Paul Travers. 



. 



1 82 James Hannington. [A.D. i88r. 

Dear little Paul ! He is now five years old. In hair, 
eyes, and contour of face much, if not quite, what his 
father must have been at his age. When I visited Hurst 
last spring, and he heard that I was an old friend of his 
father's, he waited till we chanced to be alone, then 
crept up and laid his elbows upon my knee. " Tell me 
something about father," said he. " Your father," I said, 
" was a very brave man, and a good man. Will you, too, 
try to be both brave and good ? " So he listened with 
large eyes wide-opened and awe-struck, as to the tale of 
some martyr hero of the holy past. When I had fin- 
ished, still with his elbows on my knee and his upturned 
face resting upon his hands, he said, with a plaintive 
quaver in his baby voice : " Tell me more about father." 
The memory of that father, and the record of the splen- 
did self-sacrifices of his devoted life, will be to his chil- 
dren a priceless legacy, in the possession of which they, 
though orphaned, are most richly dowered. 

On June 4th certain alarming symptoms warned the 
family that Colonel Hannington * was in a more critical 
condition than ever in former times of illness. He had 
been repeatedly operated upon for stone, and his de- 
clining years were full of unrest and pain. On Whit- 
Sunday all realized that he was dying, and James ad- 
ministered to him the Holy Communion. He writes : 

"June 6th. — 5.30 a.m., called by doctor. Father worse. 
Telegraphed to Mary, Sam, etc., who all came. I saw 
him alone, remaining with him in constant attendance. 
At 11.30 the doctor insisted upon my going to bed. At 
2.30 a.m., June 7th, he ran into my room. 'Come at 
once.' I leaped from bed, ran to the door, thinking he 

* Mr. Hannington was made J.P., and also appointed to the Col- 
onelcy of the 1st Sussex Artillery Volunteers, in 1873. 



JEt. 33.] Death of his Father. 183 

had left it open, and nearly stunned myself. Recovering, 
I ran in in time to see the last two minutes of my fa- 
ther's life. As he passed away a heavenly expression 
spread over his face. Just two minutes before he had 
said : ' Nurse, I am dying ! ' When she moved to help 
him he spoke his last words, ' Let me go.' It was, in- 
deed, we all felt, a happy release from intense suffering." 

The funeral took place on June nth. "About five 
hundred followed as mourners. After the ceremony at 
the grave the friends adjourned to St. George's, where 
Mr. Aldwell, of Southsea, administered the Holy Com- 
munion." 

By his father's will James Hannington found himself 
the owner of St. George's Chapel, but also in the awk- 
ward position of the possessor of a church without a 
stipend, or the means of providing one. He was still 
willing, as hitherto, to give his ministrations without 
recompense, but he felt that, in case he were led to 
undertake any other work — and it was not to be sup- 
posed that he would remain during his life the curate- 
in-charge of a small country district — it would be ex- 
tremely difficult for him to provide a proper stipend for 
a successor out of his own strictly limited private in- 
come. He felt that his father had made a mistake, and 
had, by some unfortunate oversight, omitted to make a 
suitable provision for the chapel. The discovery of this 
was, no doubt, a severe blow to him, as St. George's, 
though a curacy de jure, was almost a separate parish 
de facto, and in the continuance of the special organ- 
ization and work which he himself had initiated he took 
the most lively interest. However, what had been left 
undone could not now be done. He simply writes : 
"The Lord will provide, and I will honor my father to 



1 84 James Hannington. [A.D. 1881. 

the utmost of my power." With regard to the chapel, 
it may be sufficient to add that, before his last journey 
to Africa, Hannington left it by will to his eldest brother, 
Mr. Samuel Hannington, by whom all the responsibil- 
ities connected with it have been heartily undertaken. 

When the business connected with the death of his 
father and the apportioning of his estate was concluded, 
Hannington accompanied his eldest brother and family 
in a tour through the Western Highlands of Scotland. 
He was not in very good spirits, and the change of scene 
was much needed by him. Here is an extract from his 
very brief mention of this trip : 

"Sunday, Jtdy 3rd. — Having arrived in church, the 
Free Kirk at Kilchrenan, just after the conclusion of the 
first hymn, the minister, Mr. Stewart, stopped, leant over 
the desk, and said to me, ' Will you preach ? ' Sam 
pushed me out into the aisle, and in two minutes I found 
myself in a Highland pulpit. I preached from Joshua 
before Ai with great liberty, and the people seemed kind- 
ly disposed toward the Saxon. In the evening went to 
Portsonachan. A young stranger preached a written ser- 
mon far over the heads of the people, and a dog" (there 
were several sheep dogs in the congregation) " worried 
a rabbit beneath the boarding of the chapel floor ! " 

"July 29th. — Baby Paul Travers christened. OLord, 
hear our prayer and make all our children Thine, and 
Thine only." 

Two months later we met in Switzerland. Hanning- 
ton had planned with Mr. Mitten to make a short moss- 
hunting tour in August, and, when in Edinburgh, had 
arranged that, if possible, we should spend a while to- 
gether at Zermatt The two botanists started on the 
first of August, and, making their way as speedily as they 



<Et. 33.] The Moss-Hunters. 185 

could to Wasen, "crawled on hands and knees" along 
the St. Gotthard Pass to Hospenthal. So Hannington 
describes their progress. Nor without accuracy. When 
these enthusiasts got into a likely place they would hunt 
the ground like beagles, lest a single rare or valuable 
specimen should escape their notice. I find a reference 
in the diary to an incident about which " Professor " 
Mitten, as Hannington would call him, used often to be 
teased, but which is equally characteristic of both the 
collectors. "While they were exploring the high pastures 
and snow-flecked rocks of the Riffel, I went up from 
Zermatt one morning to pay them a visit. When I had 
almost surmounted the long series of zigzags, and was a 
few hundred yards distant from the inn, I was made 
aware of two figures, both busily employed in grubbing 
around the base of a mossy rock. Their pockets were 
bulky and distended, and they might have been gold or 
diamond diggers, if one might judge from the earnest- 
ness of their expression, and the energy with which they 
scraped as if for some buried treasure. I soon recog- 
nized the moss-hunters. They were on their way to 
Zermatt. Hannington was habited, as was his wont on 
such occasions, in a loose brown suit of some rough 
material, baggy at the knees and elbows, and new some 
years before. From the soil-stained pockets protrud- 
ed leaves, stalks, and trailings as of moss. Upon his 
head was one of those grass hats, like an inverted flower- 
pot, which one may buy at wayside stalls for a franc, and 
about which he had loosely wound a pocket-handker- 
chief to shade his sun-scorched face. He welcomed me 
warmly, and we returned together to the inn to lunch, 
leaving Mr. Mitten to the society of his cryptogams, and 
telling him that we would rejoin him at the Hotel 
" Zermatt " in the evening. 



. 



1 86 James Hannington. [A.D. 1881. 

As Hannington had not yet discovered any edelweiss 
we strolled after lunch to the one place on the brow of 
the plateau overlooking the glacier where the flower 
grows rather abundantly. It was quite late in the after- 
noon when we returned and commenced the long de- 
scent. To our intense amusement we came almost im- 
mediately upon " the professor." He was still within a 
few yards of the rock near which he had been when I first 
encountered them both ! His pockets were more dis- 
tended than ever, and he had not yet exhausted the 
treasures of the neighborhood. The furor colligendi at 
once resumed its sway over Hannington, and when he 
had finished laughing at his friend, he, too, sunk down 
upon his knees and recommenced his scraping opera- 
tions. It was in vain to spur on two such incorrigibles, 
so I left them to follow when either light or mosses 
should fail, and pursued my own course downward. 
Though I had hurt my heel and my feet were encased in 
no better protection than list slippers, which were con- 
tinually coming off, I reached the bottom some hours be- 
fore the botanists, still unsatiated, appeared at the hotel. 

Hannington did not remain long enough in Switzer- 
land to become thoroughly bitten with the mania for 
Alpine climbing, but he could not resist scaling one or 
two peaks. The perilous always exercised a powerful 
fascination over him. He often needed to hold himself 
in strong restraint to keep out of danger when he had 
no excuse for encountering it, and the mere encounter- 
ing of which would have been to him a fearful joy. 
Thus it may be imagined that the precipices which wall 
in the valley of Zermatt, and which have drawn together 
so many adventurous spirits, offered a great temptation 
to him. 

While at the Riffel, he sallied out alone one day, and 



/Et. 33.] His Firmness of Will. 187 

climbed the knife-like edge of the Riffelhorn quite un- 
aided, taking off his boots to enable him to cling to the 
steep rocks which so sheerly overhang the Gorner 
Glacier. They told him. when he returned, that he had 
really endangered his life. That a guide, or at least a 
competent companion, should have been taken with him, 
and that more than one experienced climber had been 
killed by a slip of the foot from those treacherous rock 
slants. But, he writes : " It did not seem dangerous to 
me." After all — as the Cat says to Rudy, in Hans An- 
dersen's story of the Ice Maiden — " One does not fall 
down if one is not afraid." 

He also ascended the Breithorn and Monte Rosa. 
While on the latter mountain, he gave proof of that 
determination and firmness of will which was one of 
his distinguishing characteristics. As we have already 
stated, he had commenced a vigorous crusade against 
intemperance at Hurst, and had himself, for example's 
sake, become a total abstainer. This pledge he con- 
sidered binding under all circumstances. He planned 
the Monte Rosa expedition rather abruptly, and tele- 
graphed from the Rizfel to the hotel in which I was stay- 
ing in Zermatt, asking me to join him. This I was un- 
able to do through having hurt my foot, so he determin- 
ed to make the ascent alone. The start was effected at 
an early hour by the light of lanterns, and when the 
morning was advanced he and his guides found them- 
selves upon the steep snow slopes which lead upward 
from the Gorner Glacier. Hannington was not very 
well, and suffered considerably from sickness. At one 
time it seemed as though he would be unable to pro- 
ceed. "Snow-sick::;:: 'is not uncommon among be- 
ginners, and the usual remedy is a mouthful of brandy. 
This would undoubtedly* have been effectual, and his 



188 James Hannington. [A.D. 1881. 

guides repeatedly urged him to take some. He was, 
however, resolute, and conquering his weakness by sheer 
effort of the will, persevered until he reached the sum- 
mit. This was soon noised abroad in Zermatt. Indeed, 
I heard of it the same evening, and rode up to the Riftel 
early the following morning to inquire for him. I found 
him busy with. his mosses, and none the worse — except 
indeed in complexion — for his adventure. He got a 
good scolding for his extreme and Spartan-like appli- 
cation to himself of his own principles, but was, in our 
secret hearts, admired none the less. 

Dr. Francis Hawkins, who was with us at Zermatt, 
has since told me that, meeting Hannington for the first 
time, his eye was attracted to a severe swelling upon his 
hand — the result of a fly-bite — which, from the extent of 
inflammation, must have caused him no little incon- 
venience and pain ; Hannington made light of it, but 
it struck his observer that here was a man of no ordi- 
nary endurance and power of self-control. We shall see 
later on how this same tenacity of will and strength ot 
endurance not only saved his life more than once in 
Africa, during that terrible time of fever and dysentery, 
when, left for dead by his bearers, he yet found strength 
to crawl after them into camp — but how these qualities 
impressed both his associates and dependents, and con- 
stituted him their leader by right divine, as well as by 
the fiat of the Home Committee. 

After his spring holiday, Hannington did not feel him- 
self at liberty to prolong his Swiss tour beyond a fort- 
night, and so turned his face steadfastly homeward. 
That same evening, after the slow descent from the 
Riffel already described, found him and Mr. Mitten at 
St. Nicolas. The next day they walked to Visp, took 
train to Susten, and from thence, passing up the smiling 



JEt. 33.] Botany at Berne. 189 

valley to Leukerbad, ascended the steep bridle-path 
which scales the stupendous cliffs of the abysmal Gemmi, 
and spent the night at the little inn which is perched 
like a raven's nest upon the very summit. All the way 
the lithe gray lizards glanced like flecks of shadow over 
the gray stones. Grasshoppers with green and crimson 
wings flashed in short flight across the path like living 
emeralds and rubies. Great Apollo butterflies and striped 
swallow-tails soared and balanced themselves on wide- 
spread lazy wings over, the deep ravine, or raced up and 
down the steep hill-sides above the nodding grasses. 
The air was tremulous with the chirping of innumerable 
hosts of crickets — a tireless invisible choir. Hannington 
was indifferent to none of these things, but, upon this 
occasion, botany was the order of the day, and the two 
"herbalists" concentrated their attention mainly upon 
the flora of the districts through which they passed. 
They were so delighted with their " find " on the Gemmi, 
that they remained there for nearly two days, collecting 
on the Kandersteg side of the pass. Hannington writes: 
' Entering some woods the flora was so superb and so 
lifferent to what we had come across, that the Professor 

wsls nearly crazy with delight At Berne, after 

giving a very little time to the sights, two travellers aston- 
ished the natives by visiting all the fountains, and peer- 
ing down into the water, at times turning up their 
sleeves and groping in the depths beneath, dragging 
up tiny fragments of a minute fissidens* which is only 
known to grow in Berne." 

A few days later, Hannington was again in England, 
and, after a short visit to Martinhoe, where he preached to 
congregations of his old friends, he settled down once 
more to work in St. George's. 

* Fissidens Polyphyllus. 



190 James Hannington. [A.D. 1881. 

The two last chapters have been occupied with a some- 
what desultory description of various incidents of Han- 
nington's ministerial life. They have been given in the 
order in which they are referred to in his private journal 
and letters. Not every event is here recorded, but those 
have been selected which seem most to display the man, 
his idiosyncrasies, and his method of working. His was 
a nature for the proper understanding of which it will 
be necessary to throw all available side lights upon it. 
Men are, it is commonly said, like the leaves of a forest; 
among their countless multitudes, no two are precisely 
alike. Yet some are more widely differentiated from 
their fellows than others. Among the numerous biog- 
raphies which have appeared — among the countless 
memoirs, monographs, and notices of workers in the 
busy world-hive — we are inclined to think that Hanning- 
ton's double has not yet been seen. The acts of his life 
recorded in the foregoing pages may be sufficient to 
show that his was a distinct personality compounded of 
many seemingly incongruous materials. Patience and 
impatience, impetuous haste and dogged tenacity of 
perseverance, pride and humility, love of applause and 
disdain of it, vanity and self-depreciation, nervous sensi- 
tiveness and moral courage, self-assertive wilfulness and 
unselfish thoughtfulness for others and forgetfulness of 
self — all these paradoxical elements went to make up 
this man who was a continual puzzle to those who knew 
him only superficially. 

But all these elements were fused together by his 
deep earnestness of purpose till they formed, as it were, 
a composite metal, tough, elastic, and enduring, from 
which, as from a piece of ordnance, the message of his 
life might be discharged with unerring precision and 
irresistible force. 



^Et. 33-] Appeal from the Mission Field. 191 

The next chapter will be the last which has to do with 
his home life and work, and in it we will try to make it 
clear how he was gradually led to the conclusion that 
he ought to respond in his own proper person to the 
appeal from the Mission Field for more men. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE BECKONING HAND. 

(1878—82.) 

" I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and 
who will go for us ? Then said I, Here am I, send me." — Is. vi. 8. 

" I am not worthy of the Quest." — Holy Grail. _ 

When Hannington heard, early in the year 1878, of 
the manner in which the heroic labors of Lieutenant 
Shergold Smith and Mr. O'Neill had been crowned by 
their violent death on the shore of the Victoria Nyanza, 
he was deeply moved. He felt within himself the stir- 
rings of a strong desire to offer to fill the gap which 
their fall had made in the ranks of the little Central 
African Mission Army. That desire slowly ripened and 
developed into a definite purpose. 

At the commencement of his ministry he knew very 
little, almost nothing in fact, about foreign mission 
work. He bent all his energies upon the duty that lay 
nearest to him, which seemed to be the shepherding of 
those few sheep in the wilderness who had been consti- 
tuted his special charge. To the surprise of some of 
the friends of his boyhood, he seemed to be content 
with the uneventful life of a hard-working country par- 
son.* Quite gradually his mind was enlarged to take 

* As one of them writes : " That the Bishop should ever have 
settled down to the life of a country parson was a thing that often 
came up in my mind with unformed doubts and fears, though we 
never discussed the matter." 
(192) 



^t. 34.] The Church Missionary Society. 193 

in the wants of a wider sphere. He became more and 
more consciously aware of dark, perishing millions "in 
the regions beyond," among whom moved heroic men, 
brethren of a new order of knight errantry, the pioneers 
of the modern Church. 

Now and again he would meet with some friend who 
would stir up in him an interest in the evangelization of 
the heathen world, and among the many agencies at 
work, the great Church Missionary Society began to 
take in his mind a foremost place. As early as 1875 he 
had some conversations at Darley House with Miss 
Evans and Miss Gell — sister of the Bishop of Madras, 
and now Mrs. Childe — which left their impression upon 
him, and caused him to resolve that he would make 
himself better acquainted with what was being done to 
carry out the last charge of Christ to His disciples. 

Such entries as the following occur in his diary from 
time to time : 

" Dunlop Smith orders me to do more for the C. 
M. S." 

" Mrs. Weitbrecht arrived for the Zenana Society. 
An exceedingly dear old lady. If all missionaries were 
as she is it would be good for the cause." 

" Preached on Day of Intercession my first C. M. S. 
sermon : 1 Kings xviii. 41." 

"Gave to the C. M. S., an Easter gift." 

Then the following : 

" H. G. came to see me, and, to my surprise, told me 
that he longed to become a Missionary. I told him that 
I longed to be one too. Smith and O'Neill's death, and 
some papers I had read, had set me longing." 

Then — 

"Nov. 21st, 1881. — C. M. S. meeting at the Dome, 
9 



194 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

Brighton ; Bruce from Persia. Most interesting. How 
that man's words went to my heart ! " 

"Nov. 29th. — Went to Eastbourne to a meeting of C. 
M. S. District Secretaries. Holy Communion 10 a.m. 
At 11 a.m. Mr. Lombe addressed the meetiftg. • He is a 
grand man ; I only wish we had one like him. After 
lunch, at which I thought myself happy to be near Mr. 
Lombe, Mr. Eugene Stock spoke. Clear and incisive. 
If he had asked me to go out, I should have said, Yes. 
I longed to offer myself to go." 

"1882. Feb. nth. — Cyril Gordon came to me. I 
opened to him my heart about offering myself as Mis- 
sionary. It does not seem to me, however, possible that 
the C. M. S. would accept me. I am not worthy of the 
honor." 

Not worthy of the honor, O holy and humble man of 
heart! Unworthy of the honor of serving Christ thou 
mightest indeed have deemed thyself ; but there has 
been no society of men who would not have been hon- 
ored in possessing such an agent and servant as thou ! 
Had the Church Missionary Society " despised " thee, as 
thou didst fear, it would have set its sign and seal for- 
ever to its own fatuity. But not least among signs of 
its vitality will be recorded the fact that it recognized 
thy power and admitted thee at once into a foremost 
place amongst the ranks of its fighting men. 

Not many days after this interview with Mr. Cyril 
Gordon, Mr. Wigram, the Hon. Secretary of the Society, 
wrote to Hannington, saying that it had been reported 
to him that he was willing to labor in the foreign Mis- 
sion-field, and offering to afford him the opportunity he 
desired. 

This„ letter brought his thoughts on the subject to a 



JEt. 34.] Called of God. 195 

head, and he hesitated no longer. During the past four 
years the conviction had been steadily deepening within 
him that his constitutional gifts and aptitudes were such 
as to qualify him in a special manner for work of toil 
and danger among a savage race. His large and broad 
knowledge of men, gained during a life of constant 
movement and varied travel ; the habit of command 
which he had acquired quite early in life; and the influ- 
ence which he could not help seeing that he readily ac- 
quired over rude and untrained natures — all seemed to 
have been granted to him that he might employ them 
in some difficult service that would tax his powers to 
the utmost. 

It was true that his presence was apparently needed 
at home. His work at Hurstpierpoint had been crowned 
with a large measure of success. His friends did not 
fail to point out to him that a man may serve God as 
faithfully and efficiently in an English parish as among 
heathen tribes in the torrid or arctic zone; that if every 
good man went abroad — etc. ! He acknowledged the 
force of these arguments,* and, moreover, had four 

* In a sermon preached at the Church of St. Margaret, Brighton, 
he used the following words : 

" Our little band which is about to set forth needs all your sym- 
pathy to encourage them. You may depend upon it that it requires 
some courage to leave home on an expedition of this sort. I speak 
from personal experience. When all men are against one, saying 
that one is making a mistake, that he is utterly wrong, that he is 
running away from the work which God has given him to do, and 
is seeking other work for himself, no small courage is needed to go 
forth. But I should not dare to stand up before you if I believed 
that I were going out to find work for myself. I firmly believe that 
I have been sent forth by God. From the beginning I have placed 
the matter in the hands of God. I dare not weigh my own mo- 
tives or fathom my own heart, but I ask God to guide me by His 



196 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

strong personal arguments of his own which fought 
mightily against his project — even a wife and three little 
children. He was quite aware, also, that it was possible 
that his crowded church, large classes, and nourishing 
societies might not be equally well cared for by a suc- 
cessor ; but, on the other hand, he knew that it would 
be far easier to obtain the services of an able man for a 
home parish than to persuade such an one to respond to 
the Society's appeal, and to give up almost all hope of 
preferment by burying the best years of his life unknown 
among the heathen. As he used to say : " There are 
plenty of men who would be glad enough to take my 
place here, but there are not many who can make up 
their minds to sacrifice home and home prospects, and 
go into the ' dark places of the earth.' Missionaries are 
not, like other travellers, held in high esteem. They 
are looked upon as a set of inferior clergy, and generally 
live unnoticed and die unrewarded. Few men see much 
attraction in such a career. When the C. M. S. appealed 
for more men, I seemed to hear the Master asking, 
* Who will go ? ' and I said, ' Lord, send me.' " 

In reply to Mr. Wigram's letter, Hannington wrote : 

" Hurstpierpoint, Feb. 16th, 1882. 

"Dear Sir, — Many thanks for your kind letter. I 
shall, if nothing prevent, be passing through London 
Tuesday next, on my way to hold a Mission. May I 
call upon you then ? 

" I am, in consequence of this, and also having to pre- 
pare for a Mission here immediately after, so busy that I 
cannot well write at the length such a vastly important 
subject demands. I am thirty-four. Offered myself only 

Holy Spirit. I pray that if God will not go with me He will noi 
let me go." 






JEt. 34.] The U-Ganda Expedition. 197 

pro tern., because married. For Nyanza, because I under- 
stand that it must necessarily be pro tern.,* and because 
I believe I have a fair amount of experience and, thus 
far in life, endurance, and nerve likely to be useful for 
such a field. I append a few names of my more imme- 
diate friends for reference." (Then follows a list.) " I 
can give several more if required. I should, how- 
ever, greatly prefer that none of these were written 
to until I have had a personal interview with you. For 
this reason : I have not announced the matter, because I 
do not want people's minds unsettled, should it fall 
through from other causes. God forbid I should boast, 
but I venture to believe that the Committee will be sat- 
isfied with the character my friends will give me. I only 
wish I were more deserving of their kind esteem. 

" I am almost weighed down with the great responsi- 
bility of my offering myself ; but I pray, ' Lord, send me 
there, or keep me here ; only let me be useful'; and I 
cannot but believe that we shall be rightly guided. 
" I am, dear sir, yours truly, 

" James Hannington. 

" Will you kindly let me know if Tuesday will suit, 
and the time ? I should prefer morning, as I am going 
to Nottingham (d.v.)." 

Whatever may have been Hannington's faults, he was 
not one of those who, when they see their duty clearly, 
still "linger with vacillating obedience." 

* The following extract from a letter to Mr. Cyril Gordon will 
explain this : 

" I volunteer to help in the expedition for U-Ganda for the follow- 
ing reasons : It is a place where I believe the general experience I 
have had would be useful, and where I understand Europeans can- 
not stop very long ; and I do not see my way clear to offer myself 
for a long term. Say from three to five y.ars." 



198 ( James ETannington. [A.D. 1882. 

On Feb. 21st the diary takes up the thread of the 
narrative : 

" Made my will, and proceeded to Oak Hill House, 
Hampstead, where Mr. Wigram lives, and, after dinner, 
had a long discussion about my going out as a Mission- 
ary. Wigram gave me a most tremendous sounding on 
all points of the faith. 

u 22nd. — Went to Salisbury Square, and was inter- 
viewed by Lang. Dined at the College. G. Chapman 
came up. 'Are you offering yourself for Africa?' to 
which I had to make an evasive answer. Interviewed 
Mr. F. F. Goe. 

" 23rd. — Interview with Barlow.* I am praying that 
the Medical Board may be directed rightly concerning 
me. I went to see them, expecting tremendous criti- 
cism, but, rather to my disgust, they only asked one or 
two questions, and turned round and said, l You are fit 
to go anywhere.' " 

After these preliminaries, Hannington wrote to the 
Committee from Southwell, where he had gone to see 
his friend, the Rev. A. C. Garbett. 

"Southwell, Feb. 23rd, 1882. 

" Gentlemen, — In answer to your appeal for men, I 
place myself at your disposal for the Nyanza work for a 
period of not more than five years, on the condition that 
you will undertake to supply my place at St. George's 
Chapel, Hurstpierpoint. 

"Though I offer to serve you on these conditions most 
freely and to the best of the power given me, yet I would 
earnestly beg you not to accept my services unless you 
feel that you have urgent need of them. 

* Principal of the C. M. S. College at Islington. 



ALt. 34.] St. George s Chapel. 199 

" Should you ask me to go out, I shall be able to have 
^25 quarterly paid to your Treasurer to help to defray 
my expenses. I shall also be able to pay ^50 towards 
my outfit. 

" With humble prayer that your minds may be rightly 

guided, 

" I remain, your obedient servant, 

" James Hannington." 

St. George's Chapel was now Hannington's own prop- 
erty, but had been left to him by his father wholly un- 
endowed. His own private income was not large enough 
to allow him to provide an adequate stipend for a Curate- 
in-charge ; he, therefore, proposed to the Society that 
they should supply the duty by means of missionaries 
who had either retired from the field, or who were at 
home on prolonged leave, while he served abroad. Dur- 
ing the five years which he purposed to spend in Mission 
work, he offered himself to the Committee without other 
stipend than the payment of his travelling expenses, to- 
ward which he was to contribute a hundred pounds 
yearly. 

Had he not felt bound to consider the needs of those 
who were dependent upon him, and to whom his means 
belonged, as well as to himself, he would gladly have 
poured all he had into the treasury, and have gone forth 
as a simple evangelist to the nations which " lie in dark- 
ness and in the shadow of death." On the 6th of March 
Hannington again visited the C. M. College. He de- 
scribes the evening thus : 

" Prayer, 5.45. Tea at 6. Dormitory meeting, 8.30. 
Prayer, 9.30. Bed, 10. The whole atmosphere of the 
College strikes me as very holy." 

"Mar. 7/1 — Walked with Barlow to Salisbury Square, 



200 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883, 

12 o'clock. Went in to see the Committee, who accepted 
my offer, and said they urgently needed my services, and 
were otherwise most complimentary. Canon Money 
offered prayer, and I learnt more news in the prayer 
than I had any idea of. I gathered that I was to be the 
leader of the party. 

" I returned home, and broke the news to my wife. 
She was more than brave about it, and gave me to the 
Lord. I had asked her often before, and she had said she 
would let me go. I had not mentioned my offer before, 
because she was all alone, and I thought the suspense 
would be more than she could bear. I also told the 
Neves, but nobody else, as we have a Mission coming 
on." 

The Committee of the Church Missionary Society was 
about to send a fresh party to Central Africa to reinforce 
the brave two * who held the ground at Rubaga, that 
latest city of martyrs, by the mystic source of the Nile. 

King Mtesa was then alive ; he whose bright, intelli- 
gent, though fitful nature, had so attracted Speke when 
he visited his Court, in 1861, and whose qualities made 
so deep an impression upon Stanley that he wrote, in 1875, 
a letter to the Daily Telegraph, in which he " challenged 
Christendom to send Missionaries to U-Ganda." 

After the manner of African monarchs, Mtesa did not 
make things so easy for the missionary band as his warm 
invitation had seemed to promise. At first he appeared to 
lend a ready ear to Christian instruction, but his mind 
was more occupied with the temporal advantages to be de- 
rived from contact with Europeans than with their creed. 
The Arab traders also at his Court, here as everywhere 
else, did all in their power to poison his mind against 

* Mr. A. M. Mackay, C.E., and the Rev. P. OTlaherty. 



JEt. 34.] French Priests at U-Ganda. 201 

the white men. These Arabs are well aware that their 
miserable traffic in human flesh cannot long prosper 
where the influence of Englishmen is allowed to pre- 
vail. They, therefore, thwart and hinder the European 
in every conceivable manner, and use all their influence 
with King and chiefs to make his stay in the country 
impossible. Every traveller, whether missionary, ex- 
plorer, or man of science, who has attempted to stop for 
any length of time with a Central African Prince, has 
felt the malign power and suffered from the treachery 
of these slave-trading vampires. Before the coming of 
the Christians, these Arabs had persuaded Mtesa to pro- 
fess himself a Mohammedan. They now intrigued with- 
out intermission to turn him aside from his apparent in- 
clination to study and adopt the teaching of Christianity. 

To add to the ordinary difficulties of implanting the 
Christian Faith in the soil of savage hearts, the Roman 
Catholic Church now thought fit to interfere. We do 
not wish to speak with bitterness of their conduct ; but, 
with almost the whole of the Dark Continent before 
them, it was surely a gratuitous piece of vexatious har- 
assment that they should send a band of priests for the 
express purpose of disputing with the English Church- 
men the ground which they had already occupied for 
two years,* and where they were, at last, after most 
painful effort, beginning to reap what they had sown 
and watered with their own blood and tears. 

These French priests of the Roman Church, coming 
by way of Zanzibar, and crossing the Lake from Kagei, 
arrived at U-Ganda in 1879, and took up their abode at 
Rubaga. They were not content merely to establish a 
Mission there, but at once informed Mtesa that he had 

* Since 1877. 

9* 



202 James Hannington, [A.D. 1882. 

been deluded and mistaught by the Protestants. The 
poor King was, as may be supposed, reduced to the ex- 
tremity of perplexity. He would say : " How can I 
know whom to believe ? I am first taught by the Arabs 
that there is One God. The English come to tell me 
that there are two, and now I am to learn that there are 
three ! " (God, Christ, and the Virgin). 

Messrs. Wilson, Felkin, and Pearson were now in 
U-Ganda, and they persuaded the King to allow them 
to return by way of the Soudan, taking with them 
some chiefs, who might be presented to the " Queeny," 
Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and bring back to their 
people tidings of what they saw in Europe. Mr. Pear- 
son was left behind, and, together with Mr. Mackay, 
set up a small printing-press, and taught the people to 
read. They showed quite an enthusiastic readiness to 
acquire this new accomplishment, and scholars might 
soon be seen everywhere poring over tablets with alpha- 
bets, sentences, and portions of Scripture. These were 
not given gratis, but were eagerly bought by the lads 
and others. So the work went on, with sundry ups and 
downs — the ups being the result of the general good- 
will of the people, the downs that of Arab intrigues and 
Roman misrepresentations — but, on the whole, pro- 
gressed. In the spring of 1881 the envoys who had 
been sent to England returned with Mr. Felkin * and 
the Rev. P. O'Flaherty.f Leaving Mr. Felkin at Zan- 
zibar, Mr. O'Flaherty proceeded to Rubaga, where he 
remained with Mr. Mackay, and the work of the Church 
went forward apace. The two missionaries " described 

* Now Dr. Felkin, of Edinburgh. 

t Mr. O'Flaherty died on July 21st, 1886, in the Red Sea, as he 
was returning home. 



JEt. 34.] The Central African Mission. 203 

themselves as builders, carpenters, smiths, wheelwrights, 
sanitary engineers, farmers, gardeners, printe-s, sur- 
geons, and physicians." They were, in the usefullest 
sense, "All things to all men." They went on tran- 
scribing the Bible, Prayer-Book, and Hymns into Lu- 
Ganda at a great rate, and found that the demand for 
their printed slips was even greater than they could 
supply. 

On March 18th, at the very time when it had been 
finally decided by the Home Committee to send out 
Hannington and his party to their reinforcement, they 
were reaping the first considerable fruits of their labor. 
Five converts were admitted into the Church by bap- 
tism. The first five of a church which two years later, 
at the end of 1884, consisted of eighty-eight native mem- 
bers. In few Mission stations of modern times have so 
many hardships, repulses, and perils, with savage perse- 
cution, had to be endured ; but in few have the results 
been more rapid, or the conversions of a more solid and 
abiding character. The history of the Central African 
Mission, when it is published, will prove to be (whether 
a permanent Church be established in U-Ganda or not) 
the romance of modern missions. This book contains an 
account of Bishop Hannington and his connection with 
the Mission rather than of the Mission itself ; but we 
shall, in the course of our narrative, be called upon to 
show how some of these young native Christians have 
already stood that most awful and bitter test of sincer- 
ity, from the very contemplation of which we shrink 
with shuddering dread and pity, and have confessed to 
their trust in Christ even in the flames. 

The new party was to consist of six men — the Rev. R. 
P. Ashe, B.A., St. John's College, Cambridge ; three of 
the Islington College Students (Messrs. J. Blackburn 



204 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

Cyril Gordon, and W. J. Edmonds) ; and also Mr. C. 
Wise, an artisan. Hannington was entrusted with the 
leadership of the expedition. They were to endeavor to 
reach U-Ganda from Zanzibar by the old route, via 
Mamboia, Uyui, and Msalala, and from thence by boat 
across the Victoria Nyanza to Rubaga. 

When all had been finally arranged, and the time for 
his departure settled, Hannington made known his de- 
termination to his congregation at Hurst. 

On March 26th he announced that he would explain 
his step, and state the reasons which had led to it, at 
the evening service. The chapel was thronged. Many 
wept aloud ; the people would hardly let him go. Some 
could not be made to understand that he ought to go. 
They had learned to look upon him as their own. He 
seemed to them to be defrauding them of their right in 
him in thus taking himself away. 

However, there was no appeal. He could not now be 
detained, so they determined that they would do their 
best to encourage him, and send him forth in a manner 
that befitted their own pastor. They were not rich, but 
they did what they could, and, among other suitable 
gifts, subscribed ^85 toward his outfit. 

As the public mind was at that time directed toward 
U-Ganda by Messrs. Wilson and Felkin's book, which 
had been very favorably reviewed in the Times, Hanning- 
ton took advantage of the fact to appeal in the columns 
of that paper for subscriptions to enable him to carry 
with him a new boat with which to navigate the Victoria 
Nyanza in place of the Daisy, which had been wrecked. 
This appeal was well responded to, and he was able to 
take out in sections a good boat, which has since proved 
of much service to the Mission band.* 

♦Hannington himself subscribed ^25 toward this boat. 



<Et. 34.] Farewell Sermon at Hurst. 205 

On May 16th a Valedictory Dismissal was held in St. 
James's Hall, Paddington. Eleven missionaries were 
committed to the care of the Lord of the whole earth, 
and sent forth into the regions beyond. Hannington 
writes: "I, of course, had to speak when my turn came, 
but I scarcely know what I said." That same evening 
he returned to Hurst, and preached in the parish church 
to a great congregation. All who could cram into the 
building were there. 

One of his friends writes : " It was with a keen sense 
of severe personal loss that we heard that he had defi- 
nitely made up his mind to go out to Central Africa. I 
well remember that part of the day when he preached 
his final sermon at Hurst. We travelled down together 
from town to Hassock's Gate. He gave me a long letter 
to read which had been sent home by one of the mis- 
sionaries from Mtesa's country. All the way down he 
had been preparing the farewell sermon which he was 
to deliver that evening in the parish church. It was one 
of the most earnest and effective addresses to which I 
have ever listened, and evoked a thrill of emotion through 
the whole of the densely-crowded audience. The text was 
1 Sam. xxx. 24, '•As his share is that goeth down to the battle, 
so shall his share be that tarrieth by the stuff ; they shall share 
alike' With characteristic humility he spoke of the time 
when he first came among them, hot-headed and inex- 
perienced; told us things against himself, which he never 
laid to the charge of others, and said how kindly they 
had all borne with him. And he added words which 
must now dwell in many memories: that if it should be 
that he lost his life in Africa, no man was to think that 
his life had been wasted. As for the lives which had 
been already given for this cause, they were not lost, 
but were filling up the trench so that others might the 



206 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

more easily pass over to take the fort in the name of the 
Lord." 

After the sermon he found a great crowd waiting out- 
side the church to receive him, and his hand was wrung 
by friends and acquaintances who formed one contin- 
uous double line all the way to his own house. He did 
not get away from their embraces until past midnight. 
Early the same morning — for he saw the last of his 
friends at 12.30 a.m. — he left for the docks ; but as the 
diary here becomes more circumstantial, we may con- 
tinue the narrative in his own words: 

"May lyt/t. — Up at 5 a.m., though I had everything 
well prepared. Ah, what a heavy heart I had. I longed 
now to be away, for the worst was yet to come. The 
pound of flesh, blood and all, must be cut away. First, 
my dear mother-in-law, not the mother of my youth, but 
of my manhood, loved with a man's affection. She re- 
mained in her own room, and was the first of the home 
circle to receive the stab. How brave she was; and she, 
of all, feels that she has least chance of seeing me again. 
We parted calmly. Next my boy, Tom Lewry, who has 
served me so lovingly — he wished to say good-bye to 
me alone; and then, passionately flinging his arms around 
my neck, implored me not to leave him. Next was the 
meeting at family prayers ; how I got through it I do 
not know. Then dear Mr. Boxall came, so faithful, so 
silent. Good-bye to him meant all that it could possibly 
convey. Now came, of all my affectionate friends, H. B. 
For a month I had seen him nearly every day; and every 
time, I think, without exception, he has burst into tears 
about my going, and has offered to work his passage to 
Zanzibar if I would let him follow me. Now my most 
bitter trial — an agony that still cleaves to me — saying 



Mt. 34.] Farewells. 207 

good-bye to the litcle ones. Thank God that all the 
pain was on one side. Over and over again I thank Him 
for that. ' Come back soon, papa ! ' they cried. Then 
the servants, all attached to me. My wife the bravest 

of all 

" I was about to jump into my brother's carriage. The 
publican's son (I was always thought to be the publi- 
can's enemy) crept up, and thrust a letter into my hand, 
a pretty book-marker, and a text, and a letter written 
by his mother. The thing that broke me down was 
passing a building. The roughest of the rough men, 
who I thought would have had a holiday to rejoice at 
my departure, left work, and crowded round to express 
their sorrow as best they could; several were at the train 
on the platform. Then came two hours' quiet, but quiet 
just then to me was terrible. I rushed to Salisbury 
Square to see if there were any parting message, and was 
well rewarded by Wigram saying : * I felt certain that 
you would find time to look in once more ; you are ubiq- 
uitous.' How the Lord helped me. Surely if I wanted 
a parting sign to hasten me forward, it was to be found 
in the great support He gave me. I had thought that 
preaching in a crowded church, people blocking my way 
along the road and clinging around me, four hours' sleep, 
and such a leave-taking, would have given me a severe 
headache and feeling of lassitude. I was, however, en- 
tirely free from any bodily pain or weariness, and I had 
not experienced such freshness for a month. The foun- 
tain of my tears seemed held back. I have not said that 
dearest Sam, the best of brothers, came with me to Salis- 
bury Square. He had been skirmishing about, putting 
continual extra touches to my already comfortable kit. 
Now, from Liverpool Street to the docks, he began 
emptying his pockets of money and forcing little articles 



208 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

of comfort upon me. Then there was the bustle of the 
ship, and the saying good-bye on the part of others to 
their relations, for only mine were allowed to go as far 
as Gravesend. Then came the final farewell to my 

brother I watched and watched and watched the 

retreating tow-boat, until I could see it no longer, and 
then hurried down below. Indeed, I felt for the moment 

as one paralyzed Now was the time for re-action ! 

No. ' Casting all your care upon Him.' .... I went 
below, and set my cabin in order for sea, arranged about 
prayers, etc., and the rest of the day passed so rapidly 
that, when night came, I scarcely knew it was gone. 
' My God, how tender Thou art ! ' " 



PART II 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. ZANZIBAR TO 

MPWAPWA. 

(1882.) 

" So in life ; if some wifeling or childling be granted you, well 
and good ; but if the Captain call, run to the Ship, and leave such 
possessions behind you, not looking back." 

Epictetus. — Farrar {Seekers after God). 

As Hannington's journal from this date onward is 
written much more fully and consecutively, and is, 
moreover, supplemented by long letters to the Church 
Missionary Society, we shall be able to continue the 
narrative to a great extent in his own words. He 
writes : 

"I must leave the farewells. I have not sufficient 
cold blood in my veins to make red ink enough to write 
them. 

" On May the 17th, 1882, at about noon, I found myself 
on board the s.s. Quetta, a fine Clyde-built ship of 3,200 
tons, and began to make inquiries about our party. 
Mr. Ashe was on board, but nobody seemed to know 
anything about the others. The authorities were in a 
great state of perturbation, as time and tide wait for no 
man. I could not help feeling a little nervous when I 
heard that we were to start for Gravesend without them, 
and leave a tug in which they might, if possible, over- 
take us. To my great relief they came steaming up be- 
hind us about an hour later." In a letter to the children 
he adds : " But didn't they catch it from one Captain 

(211) 



212 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

Brown, who was sent to look after them ! Brown ! 
They say he was blacky and his tongue the same color. 
And, poor things, it was not their fault at all. There 
had been an accident on the railway." He continues : 

" My companions were the Rev. R. P. Ashe, W. J. 
Edmonds, J. Blackburn, and E. C. Gordon, with Mr. C. 
Wise, an artisan. I had also on the ticket the names of 
Mr. and Mrs. EL W. Lane, who were bound for Mom- 
basa, and Miss , a bride who was to meet her bride- 
groom at Zanzibar. The latter was placed specially 
under my charge, but I am afraid that the principal 
way in which I fulfilled my task was by teasing her un- 
mercifully about the bride-cake, which I unfortunately 
discovered to be on board. 

" We had not many fellow-passengers on board the 
Quetta. And of these the majority were going to the 
mission field. Ten L. M. S. men for Lake Tanganyika, 
all dissenters of different shades of opinion, though 
chiefly Congregationalists. There was also a Major 
Smith, Secretary of the Wesleyan M. S., travelling for 
his health, and, lastly, a Miss Angus, of the Baptist 
Zenana Society. We thus had many persuasions repre- 
sented ; and — will you believe it ? — we all dwelt to- 
gether and parted in peace and friendship. 

" On the first night I went to the captain, and made a 
request for public prayers, which was at once granted. 

" Our first morning we held a C. M. S. Council, and 
have mapped out our day as follows : Private devotions 
before breakfast. Prayer. Then Wise is to read with 
Ashe. Edmonds, Gordon, and Blackburn take the boys, 
and I help Lane. The rest of the morning is spent in 
studying Swahili.* After lunch we have a meeting for 

*The language of the coast, and widely known in the interiof 
through intercourse with the traders. 



Mt. 34.] On the Way Out. 213 

reading and prayer, and the rest of the day is to be im- 
proved as we best may be able. 

" We have a little pleasant banter with the L. M. S. 
men. Their expedition is fitted out so much more ex- 
pensively than ours. They eclipse us in every point. 
We have to glory in the fact that so much less money 
has been expended on us, when we would have been 
permitted to have had more, had we desired it. I feel 
sure we have enough.* Only may the Spirit of God 
go with us every step of the way. 

" The only cloud that hangs over us at present is the 
unpleasant suggestion that we may not reach Aden in 
time to carry on our cargo. The poor bride is in de- 
spair, as the bridal outfit is in the hold ! " 

Hannington wrote his first letter to the Secretary of 
the C. M. S. from the Mediterranean, and says : " Give 
me as much advice as possible, and do not ever hesitate 
to point out my faults and shortcomings ; in so doing, 
you will be more than ever my friend. Do not expect 
too much of me. It may be that my share of the work 
is already done. I think most highly of Ashe ; f should 
I fail, you will be better represented. God be praised 
for raising him up to come among us." 

Hannington was always ready to express a generous 
appreciation of the merits of others. In his letter to the 
Secretary, he has a special word of commendation for 
each of his companions, and adds with regard to him- 
self, " There is only one wretch among the six, and if 
he is taken away it will be no great loss." 

* As it turned out, they had not ; and many of their sufferings 
were due to want of a few extras. 

t Mr. Ashe was afterwards stationed in U-Ganda, where he has 
gone through the troublous times which followed the death ol 
Mtesa. 



214 James Hannington, [A.D. 1882. 

At Aden the whole party for Central Africa were 
transported into " a dirty old vessel called the Mecca j 
dirty is not a strong enough word, so I must use filthy. 
She swarmed with cockroaches, black ants and bugs, 
and was, moreover, dreadfully overcrowded." The ves- 
sel was only 1,200 tons, or less than half the size of the 
Quetta> and was packed with passengers. The food, ac- 
commodation, and management all seem to have rivalled 
each other in badness. They soon fell in with rough 
weather and heavy seas, which rendered their position, 
uncomfortable before, now almost intolerable. Han- 
nington, old sailor as he was, was prostrated with sea- 
sickness. He says : " I was washed down to leeward 
twice, and was wet for three days, without any oppor- 
tunity of changing." • 

It was in a shattered and dilapidated condition that 
they made out the Island of Zanzibar, on June 19th, 
and steamed into the calmer waters of the sheltered 
roadstead. 

Soon, he says, "Mr. Stokes, our travelling compan- 
ion, came on board, and gave us a hearty welcome. He 
is to take charge of our caravan. And now about 
Zanzibar. I had been prepared to find a disgusting 
place, full of half-starved slaves and beggars, but was 
never more agreeably surprised in my life. I do not 
think that I was asked for anything more than once. 
The streets are narrow, crooked, weird, and some of 
them dirty, but not half so bad as I had been led to ex- 
pect. Not worse, I should say, than Genoa, \ the beau- 
tiful.' The many quaint sights more than atoned for 
the few disagreeables. Outside the town, the tropical 
vegetation, often standing out, on a gentle slope, against 
the clear, blue sky, or backed by the deeper blue of the 
sea, presented wonderful pictures of green freshness." 



JEt. 34.] At Zanzibar. * 215 

Hannington saw a good deal of the members of the 
Universities' Mission, by whom he was most kindly re- 
ceived and welcomed. He says: "I preached in the 
Cathedral on Sunday evening, as a slight return for the 
many kindnesses which the Universities' Mission have 
shown us. They had a special Communion for our party 
in the morning." 

The short time spent at Zanzibar was very busily 
occupied in packing and preparing for the journey. Al- 
though Mr. Stokes had relieved Hannington of much of 
the trouble of collecting porters and goods for the in- 
terior, yet the Mission stores which he had brought from 
England had to be made up into suitable loads of fifty- 
five or sixty pounds, and all had to be inventoried and 
weighed to prevent the bearers from stealing the con- 
tents of their packs. The African traveller has still to 
go about, carrying with him a miscellaneous assortment 
of articles, more or less bulky, with which to purchase 
food, pay tribute, hire extra assistance, etc., etc. It will 
be indeed a blessing and an economy of labor when the 
rupee has found its way into circulation among the 
tribes of the interior. 

The Zanzibari are notorious for their dilatory habits 
and lethargic indifference to the hurrying of the travel- 
ler impatient to be gone. They made no exception to 
their rule for Hannington's benefit. He writes : 

" This is the style of thing. At 6 a.m., you want a 
package sewn up in canvas. A man promises to send 
for a Hindu at once. You wait patiently for half an 
hour, then you think that you had better go and see, 
and you find that he did not realize that you wanted 
him so quickly; however, he will now send at once. In 
fact, you see the messenger start. About an hour latei 



216 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882, 

he enters the yard and you jump up. He, on the con- 
trary, sits down very complacently, and wonders why 
you bounded up so energetically. You explain what 
you want. He still sits and looks first at you, then at 
your package, and measures both accurately with his 
intelligent eye. By and by he actually rises and meas- 
ures the package, this time with tape. Then he once 
more squats and chews betel-nut with an activity that 
you wish he would apply to your job; and then, in 
about a quarter of an hour, he departs to get his needle 
and thread, promising to return instantly. It is now 
about 9.30, and you are summoned to breakfast, for 
which you are quite ready. On your arrival up-stairs 
you find that nobody else has come, so you drop into 
the empty arm-chair, and wait with the best patience 
you may have. In an hour's time the party has assem- 
bled, expressed its various apologies, and in another 
hour has finished its breakfast. On your arrival in the 
yard, you. find the Hindu has arrived, but has quietly 
waited for you to tell him where to begin. So, having 
stated your opinion at length with great pains and with 
many signs, you are pleased to find that he pooh-poohs 
your notions, and prefers his own way; at the same time 
he reminds you that it is now noon, the hour that he 
dines, and that he will return afterwards. 1 p.m., lunch 
time. At 2 o'clock you return, package progressing, 
but just at that moment a messenger enters the yard; the 
Hindu is especially wanted for a short time. It is quite 
3.30 before that package is finished. Thus — and some- 
times worse than thus — did we have to battle our way, 
bale by bale, through an immense amount of packing." 

Before he started for the interior, Hannington sought 
an interview with the Sultan, Seyyid Barghash. He 



JEt. 34.] Seyyid Barghash. 217 

had been told that the Sultan was becoming alarmed at 
the large number of European missionaries who passed 
through Zanzibar, but however this may have been, 
he was received very warmly and with distinguished 
courtesy. 

Dressed in full academicals — scarlet hood and Mas- 
ter's gown — and escorted by the pro-Consul, Col. Miles, 
he made his way to the palace. There a guard of honor 
was drawn up, and the Sultan came down into the square 
with much state, and greeted the young English clergy- 
man. He then led the way up those steep stairs, which 
Mr. Johnston has so graphically described, into his re- 
ception-room. After all were seated, and glass cups of 
coffee and sherbet served, the Sultan engaged Hanning- 
ton in conversation as to his journe) T and its object. He 
writes : " After about half an hour the Consul said we 
must be going, otherwise I think that His Highness 
would gladly have prolonged the interview. Conversa- 
tion never flagged for a moment, although, as far as I 
was concerned, it was carried on through an interpreter. 
When we left, he rose, led the way into the square, and, 
shaking hands, wished us good-bye. He was very in- 
terested in our expedition. His credulity is surprising. 
He firmly believes in a gigantic snake in U-Gogo, which 
is reputed to reach to the sky, and to devour oxen and 
women and children whole ! " 

Hannington made rapid progress with his study of 
the Swahili language. He says : "I have this morning 
commenced daily prayers in Swahili. Henry Wright 
Duta, the baptized Waganda boy attached to me, read 
them. The study which I gave the language on board 
has been of immense help to me. Let every missionary 
be urged to stick close to the language he has to learn 
on his journey out, in spite of all obstacles." 
jo 



218 James Hannington, [A.D. 1882. 

When all was ready for the start, Mr. Stokes first 
crossed to Saadani * with the greater part of the cara- 
van, and on the next day, June 27th, the missionaries 
followed. Hannington says : 

" I went round to Mackenzie's and was greeted with 
'You can't go to-day.' 'Why not ? ' ' Fifteen men have 
run away, and they must be looked after.' However, on • 
looking over Stokes' letter I could not see that he said 
they were to be hunted up, and so I replied that we 
should start at once. Then I found where the difficulty 
arose. Raschid, who had brought the letter, wanted a 
day on his own account, which I soon informed him he 
could not have. I ordered a dhow for noon, and by in- 
tense energy, actually got everything ready by 1.30. 

"I am not going to describe that dhow. It was as 
bad as most other dhows, and we were packed so close- 
ly that if one fell, there he had to lie. When we arrived 
off Saadani we found that the tide was high and that 
the shore could not be approached nearer than half a 
mile. The sea was pretty rough, and as we grounded 
we bumped so furiously that I expected the poor old 
dhow would have gone to pieces. Stokes plunged 
through the breakers from the shore and brought out a 
small dug-out canoe which was, at best, a quarter full 
of water. I preferred a swimming to a foot-bath, and 
so, stripping off my clothes, and putting them into a bag, 
unmindful of sharks, I waded and stumbled over the 
half mile of sharp coral which lay between our vessel 
and the beach. In due time, after repeated voyages by 
the canoe, we all got safely ashore, and found our tents 

* The channel between Zanzibar and the mainland is about thirty 
miles. 



JEi. 34.] First Day in Camp. 219 

pitched, and a tough goat, that unfailing accompani- 
ment of an African meal, awaiting us." 

The next day was spent in getting the men into their 
places and organizing generally. On the following 
morning at sunrise the long line of porters wended its 
way along the narrow track which led toward the inte- 
rior. At first their way lay through country which, but 
for the tropical nature of the vegetation, would have re- 
minded the new-comers of a path through an English 
wood ; then through long grass, thickly strewn with 
mimosa trees, till they reached their first camp at 
Ndumi. The porters were, as usual, while desertion 
to the coast was still easy, very troublesome, and occa- 
sioned the most vexatious delays by their insubordina- 
tion and sluggishness. They made the first night or 
two hideous with their cries and songs, and tried to get 
the rest out of which they had thus defrauded themselves 
during the following working day. Mr. Stokes' long 
experience in dealing with the natives here proved in- 
valuable, and matters mended after a bit. 

At Ndumi, they had their first experience of the hor- 
rors of an African well. " You might cut the water with 
a knife. An English cow or an Irish sow would have 
turned from it. However, it boiled well, and added 
body to our tea ! " Writing to his children -he says : "I 
had seen 'green tea,' but never before green coffee. I 
soon grew tired of grumbling because the men would 
bathe in our drinking water, but I did not like to find 
there dead toads and other animal and vegetable putre- 
faction. Afterwards, when weak and ill, I used to avoid 
drinking any liquid. I have been three and even four 
days at a stretch without drinking anything at all." 

On Sunday the caravan rested at a camp called 
Mkangi, "a beautiful spot where we greatly enjoyed 



220 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882, 

our quiet Services. We also had two Kiswahili Services 
for the boys, and at the close of the day felt much re- 
freshed, and ready to proceed with our journey." 

On the 8th of July they reached the river Buzini. 
" Loud had been the warnings of Stokes that we should 
not wade through the stream lest we should take fever. 
One man, at least, had nearly died here from his impru- 
dence in this respect. In consequence of this we were 
all full of caution. When I arrived I was very hot, and 
should not, under any circumstances, have thought of 
entering the water until I was somewhat cooler. The 
headmen had not yet come up, and I was waiting for 
them, w r hen my boys volunteered to carry me across. 
This was a task clearly beyond their powers ; but the 
ambitious Johar was not to be denied. He seized me 
and bore me off in triumph. When we got into the 
water I felt an ominous totter and told him to return. 
But I entreated in vain ; he paid no heed. More stag- 
gering about, and entreaties, but all to no purpose; on 
he pressed. Swaying to and fro like a bulrush in a 
gale of wind, I clenched my teeth and held my breath. 
Ihey shouted from the bank for Johar to return, but it 
had not the slightest effect ; he felt that his only chance 
now was to dash right on. We were now in mid-stream, 

and my hopes revived. I thought, perhaps . But 

the water grew deeper, the rocks at the bottom became 
more slippery, the stream grew stronger. A frantic 
struggle, and down we went flat, Johar collapsing like 
an india-rubber ball punctured by a pin. Far better 
would it have been for me had I walked through, for 
then I should have been wet merely to the knees, where- 
as now I was soaked from head to foot. Happily I did 
not get fever, though I had some symptoms of it short- 
ly after." 



JEt. 34.] A Forest Fire. 221 

The following day gave them a taste of the kind of 
adventures for which the} 7 must prepare in Africa. It 
was Sunday, and they were resting after the services of 
the day, when Hannington, who was busy with some 
sick folk, noticed smoke, and soon saw that the high 
grass around the camp was in a blaze. Not a moment 
was to be lost. The grass was as dry as tinder and the 
encampment was in the utmost danger. All hands were 
called up, some were set to work to beat down the 
flames, while others struck the tents and took the bag- 
gage to a place of safety. " It was splendid to see the 
flames and to hear the crackling of leaves and grass, and 
the shouting and screaming of the excited men." After 
some trouble the fire was beaten out and the men re. 
turned to camp to rest themselves after their exertions, 
or seemed to do so, but in reality they nurtured quite 
other designs. They had discovered that the grass had 
been maliciously fired by the inhabitants of a neighbor- 
ing village. So each man quietly got possession of his 
weapon — gun, spear, or bow and arrows — and stole 
away to take vengeance and burn that village to the 
ground ! 

A whisper of this reached Mr. Stokes' ears, and at 
once " he ran off as if he were shot, crying out excitedly 
in the strongest Irish brogue, ' Write it down in ye dia- 
ries, gintlemin ; me min have gone to burrn the village, 
and I can't stop thim.' I did not wait," says Hanning- 
ton, " to get out my note-book to jot this down at the 
time, but tore after him as fast as I could, and we, with 
the assistance of the headmen, many of whom are chiefs, 
succeeded in stopping them. Only one man had been 
wounded with a war-club in the head. I took him back 
to my own tent and bound up his head, and, better still, 
gave him a dollar. So all was over for that time. Con- 



222 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

gratulating ourselves that all had ended so well, we sat 
down to dinner. But we had more in store for us. We 
were discussing some of the never-changing goat soup, 
when the cry of fire was again raised. Off we dashed. 
This time the fire was simply terriftc. The grass grew 
far over one's head, and there were, too, a number of 
palm-trees with dead leaves attached to their trunks, 
which carried the flames high into the air. These con- 
flagrations can only be got under by following them up 
from behind, and beating them with green boughs down 
the wind. It was enough to make one shrink and quail 
to dash through the raging furnace to reach its rear. 
But through we went, and the next moment the battle 
began. It was simply glorious. The naked figures of 
the men, leaping, yelling, and dashing about like so 
many hundred demons ; the roar of the fire almost 
drowning the cries of ' Piga moto ' (Beat down the fire) ; 
the lambent flames and the dense rolling volumes of 
smoke formed a wonderful plutonic picture. In the 
midst of it all the white men, scorched and dripping 
with perspiration, urged on the workers with all their 
lung power. While the confusion was at its height, I 
came across Stokes, who had attacked the enemy from 
another flank. He had fallen into a hole and was rather 
badly shaken, and did not get over it for some time 
afterwards. At last we conquered." 

The London Missionary Society party were close at 
hand, as the two caravans journeyed together as far as 
Uyui. This was not always an advantage to either, since 
it was hard to supply so large a body of men with food 
on the route ; but on the present occasion the conjunc- 
tion was a happy one, and the united forces, amounting 
to some five hundred men, were brought to bear, all to- 
gether, upon the common enemy. 



^Et. 34.] Mamboia — Mpwapwa. 223 

On July 17th, almost all the party were visited by a 
worse enemy than fire. All except Mr. Edmonds were 
laid low by the dreaded fever, that scourge of African 
travellers. The attacks were slight, but, in Hanning- 
ton's case, often repeated. He was soon to make a 
closer acquaintance with this and other of the horrors 
that beset the southern route to the great Lake. 

On the 2 1 st they reached Mamboia, a C. M. Station, 
where they were heartily welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. 
Last. Hannington describes the station as well situ- 
ated: 

" The house, or bungalow, is prettily placed on the 
side of the mountain, at about 3,000 feet above sea-level, 
and commands most extensive and beautiful views. 
Immediately on the west side rises a precipitous cliff, in 
which a grand old eagle has its eyrie ; to the east the 
mountains form an amphitheatre, and bold jutting crags 
add a wildness to the scene ; all that it lacks to make it 
surpassingly beautiful is water. 

" The soil is most productive, and the climate sub- 
Alpine, so that our English vegetables grow to great 
perfection. The flower-garden in front of the house was 
a mass of geraniums, nasturtiums, petunias, etc. Next 
to the house stood the Church — a very original struc- 
ture. Circular mud walls had been built to the height 
of about six feet, which were covered by a deep sloping 
roof, open in the centre, from which rose wooden 
stanchions, which again supported a cap-roof — thus an 
open space was left between the two roofs for ventila- 
tion. Pews were not required. The congregation pre- 
ferred to sit on the ground, and two chairs sufficed for 
the Europeans. The people are attentive to hear, and 
send their children to the school. 



224 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882, 

" On the 25th we were fain to proceed, our friends 
going with us some little distance. But at length a 
river sent them back. With many heart-achings, for 
partings here seem hard to make, we said farewell. 
With one, Mrs. Last, we were to meet no more on this 
side the stream of death." 

The next station was Mpwapwa. 

On the way thither, Hannington had a very narrow 
escape of losing his life. He fell into one of those 
treacherous pitfalls which the natives set so cleverly for 
game. His gun was in his hand, and at full cock, but 
he had the presence of mind to let himself go, and think 
chiefly of his rifle, which, happily, did not explode. His 
terrified boy peered over the edge with dreadful antici- 
pations, as there are often spears at the bottom of such 
traps, so set that any animal falling in is impaled. He 
was relieved by hearing, " There are no spears," and 
helped his shaken and bruised, but, providentially, un- 
broken master out. This pitfall was not less than ten 
feet deep. 

There was also an alarm of Ruga-Ruga (robbers), 
which excited everybody, but when they saw the impet- 
uous white man rushing to the front, the marauders 
fled, and left him master of the field. As they drew 
near to Mpwapwa, Hannington went ahead of the cara- 
van, and pushed forward with only a few attendants, as 
he was very desirous to have a long conversation with 
Dr. Baxter, who was residing there, and to avail himself 
of his knowledge of certain facts of which he desired to 
inform himself accurately. He says : 

" The others did not reach the station until the 29th, 
but I made a double march, and arrived there on the 
28th, as I wished to have as much time as possible with 



JEt. 34.] Mrs. Coles Sunday-School. 225 

Dr. Baxter. I have had much conversation with him on 

the subject of , but have not received any very 

definite advice. Should I live to reach my destination, 
the Lord will provide. We received news from Copple- 
stone of the sad accident to Dr. Southon,* and of his 
amputating his arm. The brethren at Rubaga were 
well up to February 19th." 

At Kisokwe, near Mpwapwa, Mr. and Mrs. Cole had 
established themselves, with their little baby — the latter 
an object of wonder and delight to all the people around, 
who had never seen a white baby before. Hannington 
says in one of his diaries : 

"Both Mr. and Mrs. Cole are earnest and devoted 
Missionaries. Mrs. Cole has a large Sunday-school 
Class. Its members form such a quaint group ! I 
should like my friends at home to look in upon them 
some Sunday afternoon. Some were very gaudily cloth- 
ed in all sorts of bright colors, some merely in goat- 
skins. Others, again, were red with war-paint, and car- 
ried bows and arrows or spears. Altogether, it would 
be difficult to imagine a more queer yet picturesque 
group of children ; and yet, for all this funny appear- 
ance, they were very respectful and orderly, and tried to 
learn the great lessons which Mrs. Cole endeavors to 
teach them about the Saviour of the world." 



* Dr. Southon, of the L. M. S., had been shot accidentally by his 
grin-bearer, and his arm shattered above the elbow. Mr. Copple- 
stone, after many days, reached him, and received instructions how 
to amputate the limb. Dr. Southon then gave himself chloroform, 
and the operation was performed. Though he had never attempted 
such a thing before, Mr. Copplestone carried out his instructions 
very skilfully ; but the operation was performed too late, and his 
patient, to the great loss of the Mission, died. 
10* 



226 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

Writing to the C. M. S. Committee, he says : " We are 
resting to-day, Aug. 1st, at Khambe, a day's march from 
Mpwapwa. The reason for these rests is that we are 
waiting for the boat to gain upon us, and catch us up, 
in order to save hongo (tribute). But I do not person- 
ally believe in rests, either for masters or men." (The 
boat had been, perforce, left behind, through lack of 
porters to carry it.) " We have now some very hard 
work before us ; nearly twenty-four hours' march to- 
morrow." 

" I am very happy. Fever is trying, but it does not 
take away the joy of the Lord, and keeps one low in thi 
right place" 



CHAPTER XIV. 

MPWAPWA TO UYUI. 
(1882.) 

" It grieves me, too, Lord ! that so many should wander, 
Should see nought before them but desolate night, 
That men should be walled in with darkness around them, 
When within and without there is nothing but light." 

Faber. 

During the march the African traveller has little time 
or opportunity to indulge his taste for collecting. All 
through the weary day he plods steadily on, nor dares 
to loiter, lest he should fail to reach his camp and water- 
ing place by nightfall. When at length tents are pitched, 
and camp-fires lighted, he has scarce energy to write up 
his journal, but flings himself down to snatch what brief 
rest he can before the inevitable reveille of the next sun 
or moon.* 

Hannington made the best of his time during the short 
halt near Mpwapwa. He scoured the district to make a 
collection of its flora and fauna, specimens of which he 
preserved and packed to be sent home. Much of this, 
and what follows, he describes in the interesting articles 
which he wrote for the Churchman in 1883-4. We shall 
not attempt to catalogue the results of his research, or 
our space would wholly fail. It is enough to say that 
he brought back with him, and sent to the British Mu- 

* This when crossing desert districts. Even on days when tents 
are pitched at 10 or 11 A.M. little energy is left to brave the sun's 
rays after a long march through the night and early morning hours, 

(227) 



228 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

seum, a large collection of birds and insects, and that a 
valuable selection of mosses and plants were forwarded 
to Mr. Mitten, of Hurstpierpoint, for classification. 

While hunting for specimens at Mpwapwa, with Dr. 
Baxter, he says : " We suddenly came into the midst of 
an enormous caravan of black ants, and although we 
fled as fast as our legs would carry us, we suffered se- 
verely. The noise these ants made on the march, as 
they went by in their countless myriads, was like a kind 
of hissing roar, and the dry bed of the stream in which 
we were was covered with them as far as the eye could 
reach." 

Hannington was well bitten on this and many subse- 
quent occasions, but his zeal for collecting was not to 
be damped by any such trifling misadventures. While 
botanizing on the Usagara mountains, he encountered a 
beautiful but most malignant bean, the pod of which is 
densely covered with short red hairs, which enter the 
skin and cause the acutest agony. He says : " When I 
first seized the tempting bait I was nearly driven mad 
with pain, and was a long time discovering the source 
of the mischief ; for, unlike the nettle, which stings at 
once, this venomous pod does not develop its evil effects 
until some time afterwards." * 

He described to me an ant which was in the habit of 
crawling as far as possible up the leg of its victim be- 
fore biting him, when suddenly the unfortunate who 
was thus outraged appeared to his friends as though he 
were attacked by some violent and uncontrollable inter- 
nal pain, as he clapped his hand to the part affected and 
rushed off to undress and dislodge the fiery little assail- 

* This pod used to be employed — perhaps still is — in tormenting 
criminals. Its application soon produces raving madness, 



JEt. 34.] Sleeping in a Dust-Heap. 229 

ant. Truly the naturalist in Africa needs to be a man 
of courage ! 

The road to Khambe lies through dense forest of the 
shadeless order, and over very stony ground. All were 
thoroughly tired out, and looked forward to rest when 
they reached their camping-ground. When they had 
climbed to the summit of the Pass above Khambe they 
looked eagerly down and searched with their eyes for 
the tents, but no camp was to be seen. A tempestuous 
wind was raging below, whirling before it clouds of 
dust, The camp-fires had all been scattered and ex- 
tinguished ; the men had taken refuge in a deep trench 
which formed the course of a mountain torrent ; nothing 
was to be seen but the long driving of the dusty winds. 
Hannington says : " Two of the tents were already down, 
while the others were fast getting adrift. Volumes of 
dust were swamping beds, blankets, boxes, buckets — ■ 
everything ; a more miserable scene could scarcely be 
beheld by a band of benighted pilgrims. There was no 
use in staring at it. As for myself, I seized a hammer, 
and set to work on the tent pegs, and soon forgot 
that I was tired. By and by we got things to rights, 
but that night we slept in a dust-heap. This is the 
kind of thing all the way through U-Gogo. It is bad 
enough in a hot climate to have dust in your hair and 
down your neck ; but when every mouthful of food 
grates your teeth, I leave you to imagine the amenities 
of tent life in a sandy plain." 

From Khambe a very trying march of forty miles la^v 
before them across the desert of Marenga Mkali to the 
next halting-place at Pero, the frontier town of U-Gogo 
Darkness fell shortly after five o'clock with that sudden 
ness peculiar to the tropics, and which Coleridge has so 
vividly described : 



230 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

" The sun's rim dips ; the stars rush out ; 
At one stride comes the dark." 

They were in the midst of dense tangle overhead, 
with rough stony ground below. For three miserable 
hours they stumbled onward, not without many cuts 
and bruises, until eight o'clock, when a halt was called, 
huge camp-fires lighted, and a few hours' sleep obtained. 
At 1 a.m. the drum summoned the sleepers, and the 
yawning caravan was again put in motion. The diary 
continues : " We were not alone in this desert place. I 
thought that I heard voices. This was doubted at the 
time, but when we resumed our march we came upon 
smouldering fires scarce a hundred yards distant. When 
we numbered our men at the journey's end one of them 
was missing, and the search partly discovered a pool of 
blood where he had evidently been killed. He must 
have straggled behind, and been set upon and robbed 
of his load." 

Their adventures were not yet over. " When the sun 
rose, and the heat began to increase, we found ourselves 
very weary. Presently three shots were heard, and the 
cry of ' Ruga-Ruga ! ' (robbers) ran down the line like 
wildfire. The men, especially the warlike Wa-Sukuma, 
roused themselves in a moment ; their headman begged 
me to see to the piling up of the loads while he and his 
chief men ran to the battle. What a transformation ! 
Mild-eyed, gentle-looking blacks appeared as altered 
men ; their nostrils were dilated, their eyes flashed fire, 
and every muscle quivered with excitement as they 
dashed past eager for the fray. It was more than I 
could stand. I deputed the care of the baggage to 
more peaceful brethren, seized my gun, and advanced 
toward the scene of action. After all it turned out to 
be a false alarm. A disappointment to the Wa-Sukuma! 



JEt. 34.] Fever. 231 

We found out afterwards that it was a got-up thing by 
the wily Stokes. Seeing that the men flagged, and were 
nearly worn out, he thought that a little excitement 
might have a good effect ; and so it had. Not knowing 
the imposture, we all revived and marched on with a 
will, and at 11.30 a.m. reached Pero." 

From Pero the men were hard to move. Much per- 
suasion, and the promise of a short march, got them as 
far as the next camp. Here " the water was desperately 
bad. A deep well was the only resource, and this was 
full of dead toads and rats, which putrefied there. No 
tiltering or boiling availed to make it drinkable. It 
smelt abominably ; all food cooked in it was flavored by 
it." It is not surprising that on the following Sunday, 
August the 6th, Hannington developed symptoms of 
fever. He determined to try and walk it off. On the 
previous day he had seen three lions, and had followed 
them into some dense bush, where they were lost ; he 
now, though without his rifle, turned his steps in that 
direction, taking Mr. Gordon, his nephew, with him. 
He had not gone far when the fever laid hold upon him, 
and he staggered back with difficulty to his tent. That 
evening his temperature reached no°, and he was seized 
with violent rigors, and then with alarming fainting fits. 
The others were most kind and attentive, and the hospi- 
tal donkey was made ready for him next day. However, 
he insisted that he was able to walk, and, with that 
wonderful unselfishness of his, in a land where every 
selfish characteristic of the traveller seems called into 
active play, placed a weary companion upon the beast 
instead. 

The next camp was little better. A frightful stench 
pervaded the air, as of animal putrefaction. They 
named it " Dead Man's Camp." Here Hannington was 



232 



James Hannington. 



[A.D. 1882. 



again put on the rack by another terrible attack of fever. 
He says : " Fever is not always agonizing, but some- 
times, as on the present occasion, it is accompanied by 
violent sickness, intense pain in every limb, and burning 
thirst. I had nothing to drink, and my tongue was so 
hard and dry, that when I touched it with my finger, it 
made a noise like scraping a file." As he could not be 
allowed to remain there, and was now too feeble to 
stand, he was placed in a hammock and carried by two 
men. 



V[*tf««*V 







Even in the midst of intense suffering he never lost 
his sense of the humorous. 

He says : " The curiosity of the natives in these parts 
was unbounded ; they swarmed round our tents from 
morning to night. The men were quite naked, but for 
a short cloak of goat-skin, which reached to the waist, 
and their bodies besmeared with red ochre. The women 
were clothed, and covered with copper and iron chains, 
which were quite becoming. The lobes of their ears 
were distended, and made to hold all sorts of things, 
from an old cartridge-case to a block of wood as large 
as the cork of a gooseberry-bottle. Sometimes the lobes 



JEt. 34-1 The Wa-gogo. 233 

break down, so that, to their immense regret, they can 
wear nothing in them. I have often been asked to mend 
their ears ; but, although I could easily have done it by 
nipping off the ends where they were broken and bind- 
ing them together, I always refused to encourage their 
vanity. 

"The inquisitive Wa-gogo followed us in swarms as 
we marched, like the people at home running after a 
drum-and-fife band. The vexing part of it was that they 
seemed to think us far more curious that they were and 
not nearly so enlightened, or civilized, or fashionably 
dressed. Nor, indeed, were we in those parts. But that 
was not easy to recollect." 

The sketch represents his tent. One native, who can- 
not get a view, is supposed to be saying : " I shall abide 
my time ; I daresay he isn't worth much"; while from 
the crowd issue cries of " Did you ever see such a crea- 
ture ? " " No, we never did ! ! ! " " What are those 
things on his eyes ? are they horns growing ? " To his 
young friends at home he wrote : " Fancy a set of hide- 
ous savages regarding your uncle as a strange, outland- 
ish creature, frightful to behold ! ' Are those your feet, 
Whiteman ? ' ' No, gentlemen, they are not. They are 
my sandals.' 'But, do they grow to you feet?' 'No, 
gentlemen, they do not; I will show you.' So I would 
unlace a boot. A roar of astonishment followed when 
they saw my blue sock, as they thought my feet must 
be blue and toeless. I pulled off the sock, and they 
were dumfounded at the sight of my white, five-toed 
foot. They used to think that only my face and hands 
were white, and the rest of me black like themselves. 
My watch, too, was an unfailing attraction. ' There is 
a man in it.' ' It is Lubari ; it is witchcraft,' they would 
cry. ' He talks ; he says Teek, teek, teek.' My nose 



234 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

they would compare with a spear, it struck them as so 
sharp and thin as compared with their own. Often one 
would give my hair a smart pull to try whether it were 
a wig, and would come off." 

The Wa-gogo have an ill repute for their treatment of 
travellers, but Hannington took a decided fancy to them, 
and thought that he saw in them certain manly char- 
acteristics which might be won to the service of his 
Lord. He noted, however, that as yet, though they 
watched the white men at worship, they themselves 
showed little or no interest in the Gospel message. 

He writes: "By the 21st of August we had passed 
through U-Gogo without having paid hongo (tribute), a 
triumph of African travel." The system of blackmail- 
ing is one of the great hindrances to travel in the in- 
terior, and is a heavy tax upon both the time and 
resources of a caravan. On this occasion Mr. Stokes 
tried a new route, and they escaped without the usual 
trouble. 

By the commencement of September the caravan was 
within a short distance of Uyui, where there is a C. M. 
Station. During the whole time Hannington had never 
been free from fever, but he had marched resolutely on, 
and kept determinedly to his own feet so long as they 
would carry him. He was the life and soul of the party, 
and never let his companions' spirits flag. This is how 
he describes the incidents of a march : 

" Take it as a rule you start at sunrise, which is often 
so gorgeous that it defies description. During the early 
hours herds of antelope bound into the thicket at your 
approach. Wild boar, giraffe, fresh tracks of elephants, 
but never elephants themselves, are met with. 

"Presently you enter dense tangle, so thick that it 



?Et. 34.] Incidents of a March. 235 

seems to defy even the wild beasts to penetrate it. No 
view is to be had. The pathway itself is, at times, quite 
hidden; and yet, in the dry season, the leafless boughs 
form no protection against the burning rays of the sun. 
Now we come upon the dry bed of a pool, and I dis- 
cover a shell that I have never seen before. It con- 
siderably enlivens me, and the next mile passes without 
a murmur. 

" Then a shriek of joy. ' Elephants ? ' ' No, or I should 
not have made a noise!' 'Giraffe?' 'No.' 'Water?' 
'No.' 'Well, whatV 'A Tortilla.' 'What's that? A 
snake ? ' ' No ; a moss ; haven't seen a vestige of moss 
for a hundred miles.' 'Oh!' with an emphasis that no 
explanation will exactly convey. Afterwards, ' Ona 
Bwana, mbuzu ! ' (' See, master, a baobab tree.') Ah, 
yes, sure enough, standing out in solitary grandeur, 
there it is, and that means water, and a halt for the 
night." 

On August 26th he writes : " Gordon and I started 
early to take advantage of the cool hours. We saw 
many nice sights which we should otherwise have 
missed, as the beasts were still moving. More than once 
hyaenas of the yellow variety crossed our path, nor did 
they appear to notice us. By and by we came upon 
skulls, broken boxes, and other signs of a fight with 
robbers. An eagle flapped lazily across the path. He, 
too, had had his share of the spoil ; and of the fight 
also — for he would have to battle for his portion with 
the jackals and hyaenas. It was a ghastly sight, and in- 
clined us for a moment to think that it might be wise 
to wait until the caravan came up." 

On the 30th, they rested for a day at Itura. The 
Wanyamwezi women determined to honor them with a 



236 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

national dance, and as Hannington was Bwana Mkubwa 
(great master), they arranged themselves in ranks before 
his tent for the purpose. They danced him nearly to 
death. No remonstrances availed. They never seemed 
to tire, but the chanting and drumming went on inces- 
santly, hour after hour, till he says, " one grew pale with 
the ceaseless thudding of the drums." 

When at length the dance was over, Hannington sol- 
emnly displayed to the assembled women a doll which 
a friend had sent him, and undressed it before their de- 
lighted eyes. They were charmed to see thus practically 
illustrated the manner in which English ladies clothe 
themselves, and the multitude and variety of their whit* 
sisters' habiliments. 

On the 31st, another Pori, or forest desert, of about 
eighty miles, lay before them. As far as the eye could 
see were tall, thin, and shadeless acacia trees, and hard- 
baked soil which threw back .the rays of the sun with 
terrific force. On Sept. 2d, while still painfully plod- 
ding through this Pori, as there was a full moon, a start 
was made at midnight to avoid the intense heat. Han- 
nington brought up the rear, to keep the men from 
straggling. " At last," he says, " they got a little trouble- 
some. I said to a man who persisted in loitering, 'Very 
well ; then I shall leave you to be eaten by lions.' A 
moment or two after I heard a shot, and then another, 
with yells and shouts. Of course, I thought that the 
dreaded Ruga-Ruga were upon us, and so rushed for- 
ward, forgetting my gun, which my boy was carrying 
behind me. The firing and yelling increased as I neared 
the front, and I seized a gun from the retreating form 
of Duta, and pressed on. Then I found that the com- 
motion was caused by a lion who was enjoying his sup- 
per in the bushes before us, close to the path, and who, 



<Et. 34.] A Lion- Adventure. 237 

in spite of the uproar and firing, refused to budge an 
inch. I begged the men to be calm, and taking my own 
gun, advanced for a shot ; but they danced round me, 
shouted to me to come back, and one even seized my 
coat-tails. I turned quite rust}* at this, and pushed the 
stupid man aside. Two of the white men now took to 
the trees, when they saw that I was in earnest, and most 
of the black men followed them. The other two white 
men, Ashe and Gordon, determined to abide with me 
and share my fate ; the former armed with a revolver, 
the latter with his umbrella ! Of all lion-adventures 
that I have heard of, this was about the most laughable. 
There was the lion, very wroth, like a dog with his bone. 
There was I, with my valiant body-guard in line behind 
me. There were the others, thickly clustered upon the 
trees, like so many crows. I was preparing to fire, 
when in rushed a black boy, and discharged his gun 
wildly in the lion's direction. Happily he missed, though 
the bullet went close to where the lion lay. I saw him 
move and drag his prey further into the jungle, where 
we lost sight of him, though we could still hear his 
4eep growlings. My two friends refused to leave me. 

felt competent to avoid the charge of the beast myself 
if he were wounded, but could not look out for them ; 
so I sorrowfully turned away, feeling that a grand op- 
portunity had been lost. After this there was no diffi- 
culty in keeping the stragglers together. Their fatigue 
suddenly disappeared, and they packed together like a 
flock of sheep." 

After a long and painful march which taxed their 
powers of endurance to the utmost, they reached the 
Mission Station of Uyui on the 4th of September. Here 
Hannington was seized with dysentery, and during the 
next ten days was brought to the very door of death. 



238 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

The Jesuit priests at Unyanyembe (the spot where Liv- 
ingstone and Stanley parted) prescribed an injection of 
carbolic acid, which for a time relieved the most dis- 
tressing symptoms, but nothing seemed to avail per- 
manently. 

On the evening of the 13th the other members of the 
Mission met in council. Hannington lay in his bed, 
anxiously and prayerfully awaiting their decision with 
regard to him. He hoped against hope that he might 
still be able to proceed to the Lake. After long delibera- 
tion, they announced to him the result of their consul- 
tation. He was to be left behind at Uyui whilst the 
others went forward without him. He says : " This de- 
cision came as a tremendous disappointment; but I had 
expected it, and received it as an oracle from heaven." 
On the 15th they left, and he remained in the brotherly 
hands of Mr. Copplestone, and under the special charge 
of his nephew, Cyril Gordon. 

During his sickness, Ngembi, the chief of the district, 
called. Hannington made a great effort to sit up and 
receive him. He made him a present of a dressing- 
gown in the name of the Society, as the chief had heard 
that both Mirambo and Mtesa had been officially recog- 
nized by the Europeans, whereas he had been neglected. 
Hannington writes : " He is chief of a large and im- 
portant district, but is a great drunkard, and difficult to 
get on with, yet wonderfully improved of late. He is 
very frightened at the comet ; and a conversation about 
this gave Copplestone an opening again to put the Gos- 
pel before him." 

During the interview, however, Hannington sat in a 
draft, and the consequence was that an old enemy of 
his, acute rheumatism, set in, which in a few days turned 
to rheumatic fever. This, on top of his fever and dysen- 



JEt. 35.] His Illness at Uyui, 239 

tery, reduced him to the lowest ebb ; it seemed impos- 
sible that he could recover. He says: 

"Let me bear witness to Gordon's extreme attention 
and kindness, in nursing me night and day. He would 
not let me die. On Oct. 15th dysentery returned; I was 
desperately ill, and in such agony that I had to ask all 
to leave me and let me scream, as it seemed slightly to 
relieve the intense pain. In this state, I said to Gordon, 
'Can it be long before I die?' His answer was, 'No; 
nor can you desire that it should be so.' " 

I have received a most interesting letter from Mr. Cop- 
plestone which refers to this period. He writes: 

" Mr. Stokes had been loud in his praises of our friend, 
so that I was in some measure predisposed in his favor, 
and an openness and freeness sprang up at once between 
us. The day after his arrival he went to my well and 
drank two glassfuls of the water, which he found very 
cold and refreshing. But we had not the slightest doubt 
afterwards but that that water, delicious as it was, was 
the cause of that long and protracted illness which took 
so many painful forms, and eventually necessitated his 
-eluctant return to England. His illness came on so 
suddenly and was so severe that, for days, we thought 
that he could not recover. We placed him in a comfort- 
able room which I had built for a school. On the de- 
parture of Stokes, Ashe, and Wise for the Lake, he was 
removed to my house, occupying the guest-room, and 
thus conferring upon me the honor and privilege of 
having him and dear Gordon as guests for six weeks. 

" I did not, however, get to understand him properly. 
There was a something in his character which I could 
not get to the bottom of. I did not then hold the key 
to his life. Although so weak and ill, he was very sel- 



240 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882, 

dom still and never idle. I often wondered why he did 
not rest more. When compelled to keep to bed he did 
his best to paint what flowers Gordon might bring in to 
him from our rambles. As often as he could he would 
situp, always at work at writing or painting. One thing 
he did was to draw up a small book of information for 
the guidance of men who should leave home for Africa, 
and for the Committee. From the very commencement 
he was bent upon making the best possible use of the 
knowledge and experience which he had gained. 

" I have a distinct remembrance of one of the few walks 
which he was able to take with myself. 'Copplestone,' 
he said, ' I do not think that I can recover from this ill- 
ness. Let us go, that we may choose a place for my 
grave.' So we went, and he selected a spot where he 
said we were to bury him. He did not expect that he 
could live long in such a state as that in which he then 
was. 

" His stay with me was a real blessing. His spirit- 
uality was very deep. Oftentimes he would say, 'Come, 
Copplestone, sing me one of your consecration hymns.' 
His favorite was, ' I am coming to the Cross.' Nearly 
every night we would have a special time of prayer to- 
gether before retiring to rest. Yes, those were hallowed 
times, never to be forgotten. 

" The return of Stokes to Uyui, after his unsuccessful 
attempt to reach the Lake by the old route, and his de- 
parture again via Urambo, took away my friend, for he 
insisted that he should go forward, though he should be 
carried the whole way. I accompanied them as far as 
Urambo, to see Mirambo, the chief, about securing a 
road through his newly-acquired country, to the south 
end of the Lake. I spent a night at their camp at 
Kwandi, and went some distance into the jungle, and 



JEt. 35.] Mr. Copplestonc at Martinhoe. 241 

bade him good-bye in the best of spirits, though very- 
weak in body. He was then being carried. 

" I did not again meet him until after his return to 
England, and found in him an irresistible desire to return 
to Africa. At this I was not surprised, and not very 
much so when I heard the report that there was a prob- 
ability of his being consecrated Bishop of Central Equa- 
torial Africa. 

" I have said above that I could not understand much 
of what I saw in the Bishop when at Uyui, and that 
because I had not then the key to his life. This, how- 
ever, was given me in some measure, when on a visit to 
Hurst ; but more definitely during a week I spent with 
him at Martinhoe after his consecration. 

" He appeared to have such an open, frank careless- 
ness ; and when I saw him at Hurst, and the way in 
which he went about there, it was clear to me that there 
was something more than ordinary in him, and an 
amount of originality about him that made him different 
from many other men. The earnestness with which he 
carried on the work of his parish corresponded with the 
longing desire after the welfare of his people which I 
had seen in him when in Africa. 

" The young men appeared devoted to him. He was 
one who could come down to their level, and make 
himself one with them, and from his influence over them 
I could see clearly that, like David, he bowed their hearts 
like one man. 

" He invited me to spend a few days at Martinhoe. On 
the appointed day we met at Exeter. There were with 
him Mr. Ireland and Cecil M'Gillivray, a native teacher 
of the Universities' Mission at Zanzibar, of whom the 
Bishop was very fond. Among our many rambles over 
the cliffs and by the shore, he took us one a«.y to visit 

.,"- 11 - ••• * '■■ -— ■• - + x - ' --- — '• i .* •'- " 



242 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

the caves which he had discovered in former days, when 
he was a pupil with Mr. Scriven. We were caught by the 
tide. It was delightful to watch the dear Bishop spring- 
ing over the rocks and through the pools, and finally he 
had to take off his coat as well as ourselves, and almost 
swim in order to reach his 'Jacob's Ladder.' 

" Wherever he Went he always had a warm welcome 
from old friends, and the poor people were continually 
showering grateful blessings upon him as he passed. The 
secret was, I am sure, his true sympathy and endeavor 
to make himself one with them ; and grandly he suc- 
ceeded. I think it was the day before we left that he 
invited about a dozen of the old women to a sumptuous 
farewell tea. And before they left he had readings of 
the Word and gave them a homely address." 

I have quoted this letter farther than its immediate 
reference to Uyui, because it throws light upon Han- 
nington's character and goes to prove how essential an 
intimate acquaintance with him was to the right under- 
standing of his rare nature. 

The caravan in the charge of Mr. Stokes had, in the 
meanwhile, gone some distance along the old road to 
the Lake, when the natives endeavored to extract an 
extortionate hongo, and to enforce its payment by arms. 
Mr. Stokes paid their demand, but very wisely refused 
to proceed, and returned to the chief of the district 
with a complaint of their breach of faith. The chief, 
who had received his tribute, and was responsible for 
their safe conduct, was very angry, and demanded the 
return of the hongo from the tribesmen. While this 
dispute was pending, Mr. Stokes brought the caravan 
back to Uyui, and determined to approach the Lake by 
a different route.* 

* It appears also that hongo was demanded in guns and powder, 



Mt. 35.] " / shall Live and not Die." 243 

In Hannington's diary is the following entry : 

" Oct. 6th. — Slightly better, but still in very great pain. 
To our immense surprise Stokes turned up early this 
morning. When I heard his voice I exclaimed, ' I shall 
live and not die.' It inspired me with new life. I felt 
that they had returned that I might go with them." 

Again a consultation was held. This time the mem- 
bers of the Mission were divided in opinion. The ma- 
jority, however, held that their leader was different to 
other people, and that his iron will might possibly pull 
him through, where a man of less strength of purpose 
would be doomed to failure. A hammock was prepared, 
and it was decided that he should accompany them to 
the Lake. 

which is a kind of tribute which the agents of the C. M. S. always 
consistently refuse to pay. 



CHAPTER XV. 

UYUI TO THE VICTORIA NYANZA. 
(1882.) 

" His soul is too fresh with heaven to take the world's point of 
view about anything.'' — Letter from Mrs. Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Writing to Mr. Wigram from Uyui, just before his 
departure, Hannington says : 

" Do, my dear sir, forgive me for writing so much 
about myself and so little about the others. My severe 
and repeated illnesses have made me think too much of 
myself, I fear, as if I were the centre of interest instead 
of those who are strong and healthy, and likely to carry 
on the work. They are the centre of our hopes, and it 
is they whose movements should be described. An 

^mpty bottle on the shelf requires no description 

1 have decided to go on the day after to-morrow, .... 
but I am prepared to be careful and to go, as we say 

out here, ' Pole pole ' (gently) I close with words 

of hope. I am better; full of joy, and, I hope, of praise 
to my God." 

On Oct. 14th the messenger sent to recover the hongo 
which had been extorted from the caravan returned, 
bringing with him all the bales of cloth, except one 
which had been opened. The people, under pressure 
from their suzerain, offered eight cows in place of the 
missing bale, and thus the dispute was most happily 
arranged. 

(244) 



-^Et- 35-] Carried in a Hammock. 245 

On the 16th all was ready for a start. Hannington 
says : " I had stipulated that I was to have six porters 
exclusively to myself, to carry me, for I had already had 
very disagreeable experience of a scratch crew ; and I 
further offered to pay for them myself. On arriving in 
camp I found all confusion. Fifty men had run away. 
They had deserted, panic-stricken at the idea of cross- 
ing Mirambo's country. We, however, determined not 
to wait, but to proceed with as many loads as we could, 
and leave headmen to gather porters and bring on the 
rest. The next thing to be arranged was, what was to 
remain and what was to go. During the turmoil I crept 
out of the way and remained, I will not say rested, on 
the ground under a tree for two hours and a half. At 
length, at half-past four, the drum sounded and my men 
came up. I was too ill to scrutinize them, or think who 
they were, or how many of them had been told off for 
hammock duty ; so we started. Presently I discovered 
that I had only four bearers, and these, with one excep- 
tion, were the very dregs of the caravan By and 

by my men began to totter, and finally let me drop. 
Fortunately I expected it and was prepared, and caught 
myself, thus saving an ugly fall ; it is a most dangerous 
thing to be dropped suddenly from a hammock, as one 
falls first on the small of his back and is likely to injure 
his spine. I gave them a long rest, but it was not of 
the slightest use, and finally, for safety's sake, I was 
compelled to abandon the hammock and walk for two 
hours, I had been in bed for nearly six weeks before. 

It only proves what one can do when one must 

The next day I got fresh carriers, but they were not 
used to the work, and I was worse off than before. The 
scenes of the past afternoon were painfully repeated ; 
so the day following I declined to stir an inch until I 



246 James Hannington. f A.D. 1882, 

had six good men allotted to me, for my life absolutely 
depended upon it." 

On the 20th Mr. Copplestone and Mr. Stokes went to 
Mirambo's village to interview that renowned African 
monarch, so the following day the porters took advan- 
tage of the absence of their caravan leader to be trouble- 
some. When they arrived at a certain village where no 
halt ought to have been made they insisted they would 
remain there. Hannington says : " The men made a 
great row, and vowed they would go no further. I sat 
perfectly still until they had shouted themselves out, 
and then ordered my hammock and said that I was 
going on. The last shout that I heard was, • We won't 
come'; but about five minutes later I perceived that 
they were on the road, and on arriving very shortly at a 
better camping-ground they were in excellent spirits, 
and said that they were glad that I had made them go 
on." 

On the 22d they arrived at the Pero (the frontier 
town) of Urambo, and received a message assuring them 
of Mirambo's friendship. Hannington and Mr. Wise 
were too ill to leave the camp, but all the others went 
to the capital to pay their respects to the king. 

On the 25th they started for the comparatively new 
country of Msalala. The only white man who had 
passed that way before was Speke, and he had only 
touched the route at one or two places. They thus 
looked forward to the journey with much interest. 

In spite of his weakness, Hannington enjoyed this 
changeful life. Drenching rain succeeding furnace-like 
heat ; soaked clothes by day and wet bed-clothes by 
night could not damp his spirits. He says : " I can now 
just sit up for meals ; the rheumatism in my right leg 
and back is still rather relentless ; if I were at home the 



JEt. 35.J Chief Shimami. 247 

doctor would be wrapping me up in cotton-wool, but 
this life is thoroughly agreeable to me. If I had good 
health I should be too happy. What wonderful mercy 
surrounds us. Truly, underneath are the Everlasting 
Arms ! " 

On Nov. 1st they encamped near the village of a chief 
called Shimami, " a great chief — great in possessions, 
stature, and power. A man of remarkably fine points." 
After exchange of presents, Shimami took Hannington 
for a tour of exploration through his village. They set 
off in single file, Shimami — wearing one of the presents, 
a pair of blue spectacles — leading the way, his guest 
second, and the court officials following in order of 
rank. When near the village, Hannington bestowed 
upon him a wide-awake hat. " His delight knew no 
bounds. He put it on, and, spectacles and all, strutted 
off as proud as a peacock. His chief minister discov- 
ered that the crown of the hat was flattened a little, in 
the fashion we generally wear our wide-awakes. So it 
was taken off and erected in a sharp peak ; then its rim 
was bent up au brigand, and altered again and yet again. 
I was immensely amused, but my mirth only caused 
greater delight, for in Africa laughter is seldom express- 
ive of ridicule." 

"Nov. 4th brought us to the Sultan's, a minor of 
about 12 years old named Gargi. I can only speak of 
him as a delightful little black. He quite won my heart, 
and we were soon walking about hand in hand together, 
though followed by a large retinue to see that we did 
not get into mischief." 

On the 6th Hannington was so much better that he 
attempted the ascent of a mountain. He went alone, 
ascending by creepers which hung from crevices in the 
iron-stone rock. Above the crags was dense jungle. He 



248 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

soon, however, struck a path which led to some deserted 
huts, which had the appearance of a robber's hold. 
This looked bad, but the hope of fresh botanical treas- 
ures urged him on. For some time he crept upward, 
often on hands and knees, through the thick under- 
growth, till by and by he heard an ominous rustle. At 
first he thought of lions, and remembered that he was 
unarmed. Then as he peered into the tangle he heard 
a whisper that sounded very human, and his thoughts 
at once reverted to the abandoned huts and to murder- 
ous robbers. Soon appeared three men armed with a 
pistol and bows and arrows. There was not much hope 
of escape if they meant mischief, so he at once resolved 
to face them, and descending, called out "Wadela," 
which is Kinyamwezi for " good-afternoon." 

The reply was not, as he half expected, an arrow or a 
bullet ; those three had dogged his steps for some time, 
as in the " prospecting " regions of America men dog the 
steps of one whom they suspect to have discovered the 
secret of a new mine. They were in want of water, and 
Delieved that the white man had power to create it. In 
fact, that his business on the mountains was to form a 
new spring ! Hannington tried to explain that this was 
in the power of God alone, but in vain, for "What," 
says he, " could a man be doing who kept picking little 
pieces of moss and examining them through a magnify- 
ing-glass, or cutting off bark from a tree, or turning over 
a stone for a beetle ? Even in the West of England two 
very eminent botanists were regarded as ' old herbalists,' 
and were not altogether beyond the suspicion of necro- 
mancy ; but here, where witchcraft is the religion of the 
country, no words of mine could persuade them that I 
was not a most powerful magician, though unwilling to 
exercise my power." 



£5t. 35.] Looking for the Nyanza. 249 

"Nov. 8t/i. — After a twenty miles' march we arrived at 
Kwa Sonda, in Msalala, the last village under Mirambo's 
jurisdiction. Here we were promised our first view of 
the mighty Victoria Nyanza, and here we hoped to found 
a new Station. The Lake was supposed to be but five 
miles distant. We struggled on. But what was our 
bitter disappointment to see nothing but a green ex- 
panse of rushes, looking like a cricket-field, and stretch- 
ing away for miles. We had expected to behold a grand 
stretch of blue water and luxuriant foliage when we 
reached Kwa Sonda. Instead of this, only a sandy 
plain, and in the midst of it a singularly unpicturesque 
village. After we had been introduced to the chief and 
been assured by him that the water was not far off, I 
crept silently away to explore, but was soon discovered 
and followed by the others. As to the natives, they 
could tell us nothing with certainty. The greater part 
seemed never to have travelled northward through fear 
of hostile tribes. Some cried one thing, some another, 
so we had to find out our whereabouts for ourselves. 
Soon a drenching shower overtook us, which would 
have damped the ardor of most men, but not of those 
who had tramped nigh a thousand miles to reach their 
sphere of work at the sources of the Nile. We crept 
beneath a glorious jessamine bush and there sheltered 
until the worst was over. Then on we went and yet on- 
wards ; but though the scenery had changed and be- 
come very beautiful, yet no lake was visible. By and 
by we saw, from the top of a high rock, a swamp of 
reeds and grass which, as I have said before, looked like 
a well-mown cricket-field, but not a drop of water. Our 
hearts sank, and with weary tread we returned to the 
camp to answer the eager inquiries of the men with 
'Maji Hapana' (There is no water). 
11* 



250 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

" I implored the brethren to reserve all remarks until 
after we had been refreshed by food; for not only had 
we had a very long march, but also a fatiguing search 
and a great disappointment. After dinner, just as we 
had opened the books for prayers, in came the chief, and 
asked what we were about. When we told him we were 
going to pray to God, he replied: 'Go on; let me hear 
you.' Then when we had finished: 'You must teach 
me.' This seemed to come to us as an immense com- 
fort when we were all depressed, for although we were 
generally asked to remain permanently and form a 
Station, yet nobody had yet directly requested us to 
teach him to pray." 

Elsewhere he writes: "I do not place too much stress 
on this, and yet it seemed an earnest from heaven, and 
it set my heart praising, and filled me with assurance 
that our most loving Father has not forgotten us." 

" We heard afterwards that we had not gone to the 
right place from which to see the water, so the next 
morning, before the sun was up, I started; but was soon 
outdistanced by Stokes and a troop of men. Presently 
I heard firing, and thinking that they had overtaken a 
hippo, I seized my gun, and began to run, when I made 
the painful discovery that I was quite unable to do so. 
1 was by this time strong enough to walk for a few 
miles, but not twenty yards could I run. I cannot de- 
scribe my feelings as I handed the gun to my boy and 
told him to run. Xor was my mortification lessened by 
the way he dashed off. I watched him disappear, wish- 
ing heartily that he would occasionally move like that 
when I was in a hurry, and inwardly resolving that he 
should. By and by he returned, saying that the firing 
was not for Xyama (game), but for Furahi (joy). They 
had reached the Lake. I brisked up at once, and soon 



^!t. 35.] Alone in tJie Wilderness. 251 

reached the mighty Xyanza, here like a duck-pond, or 
sluggish English river in the summer-time. The Xullah 
cannot be in this place more than a mile across, for some 
natives came rushing down on the opposite bank to see 
what was the matter, and we could distinctly hear their 
voices. Only a very small portion of the intervening 
space was water; the rest was reedy swamp. There 
were no canoes, and no communication seemed to be 
kept up with other parts." 

They had reached the Lake at a point to the west of 
Kagei and Jordan's Xullah, marked Msalala with a blue 
underline on the map, but did not yet know their exact 
position. Writing to the Committee of the C. M. S., 
Hannington says: " I incline rather to our being on the 
west side of the west channel of Jordan's Xullah. But 
time will settle the question for us." In his diary he 
writes: "A council of war was held. There seemed but 
one course before us. There we were. Cloth short. A 
caravan still behind us, nothing before us, what were we 
to do ? We must stop where we are until Raschid comes 
with the boat." 

The rainy season was upon them, so they set to work 
at once to build huts, and in the meanwhile sent letters 
by Kagei to U-Ganda announcing their arrival, and tell- 
ing the brethren there to send canoes for them if then 
immediate presence was required. 

The ranks of the Mission party were now to be still 
further thinned. Mr. Blackburn and Mr. Edmonds had 
been left at Uyui to take the place of Mr. Copplestone, 
who was about to return to England. Xow Mr. Stokes 
returned to the coast. So Hannington and Mr. Gordon 
sallied forth to choose a good site for their tent at a 
place some miles from the village. The journal says 



252 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

-' Gordon and I were quite alone last night in the heart 
of the forest. Three or four tarantulas were dashing 
wildly about the tent. Mosquitoes swarmed. Lions 
roared close to us during the greater part of the night, 
four different kinds of ants made themselves at home 
with us, and in the morning a whole stream of Chunqu 
(bitter) ants, the largest and fiercest ants there are, ad- 
vanced as an army into our tent. There was nothing to 
be done but light a fire and regularly fight them, and 
even then we had great difficulty in getting rid of the 
enemy. In spite of these trifling drawbacks we congrat- 
ulated ourselves upon having pitched upon an exceed- 
ingly pleasant spot, and determined as soon as possible 
to hedge ourselves in with a fence of thorns, to prevent 
a buffalo or stray rhinoceros from charging the tent, or 
a lion from slipping his paw under the curtain and claw- 
ing one of us out of bed," 

"Nov. 13//?. — After we had enlisted a sufficient number 
of volunteers from the porters to remain with us, the 
rest returned with Stokes to the coast. We were very 
sorry to bid him farewell. His unceasing kindness had 
been a great comfort to us, and his ability in managing 
the men a great advantage. When he was gone a slight 
feeling of loneliness crept over us. We felt rather like 
men with empty pockets turned adrift in the wide world, 
not knowing exactly where we were, or what to do next. 
Our instructions, in rough outline, were as follows : 
'Ashe and Wise to form a station somewhere at the end 
of the lake ; Gordon and myself to proceed as speedily 
as possible to U-Ganda.' Very good ; but the difficulty 
was that our supplies had run short, and the horrors of 
the rainy season were upon us. 

" However, the next day I dug a well with my own 



JEt. 35.] A Fearless Hunter. 253 

hands, as Gordon was ill. Then, that no opportunity- 
might be wasted, I persuaded the chief's brother to 
come to me to learn the alphabet. How I longed to be 
able to talk sufficiently well to teach the people the way 
of everlasting life ! " 

The traveller in Africa must always depend in a large 
measure upon his gun for a supply of fresh meat for 
himself and his men. However unwilling he may be to 
take life, he will find it necessary to avail himself of a 
halt, to try and replenish the camp larder. Hannington 
was always chary about inflicting unnecessary slaughter. 
He had no sympathy with the ambition which consumes 
some men to make a large bag. Now and again, how- 
ever, he would scour the country about the encampment 
in search of game, and his fearlessness often brought 
him strange adventures. 

One day, as he and his boy Duta were trying to stalk 
some antelopes, and were worming themselves on hands 
and knees through the high grass, he saw something 
dark ahead. He whispered to Duta : " Is that a rhinoc- 
eros or a clump of bushes ? " Just then the object moved, 
and they saw that it was a black rhinoceros. Hanning- 
ton thus describes what followed : " Back we darted in- 
to the thicket, and took a large circuit, coming out again 
on the edge of the plain just in time to see a cow with 
her calf retiring slowly in the jungle. Quietly we crept 
back, and again emerged, this time about twenty yards 
from her. Her head was turned from us, and on her 
back were a number of yellow ' rhinoceros birds.' These 
flew up with a screech and apprised her of her enemy. 
Before she could spring round I fired. As the bullet 
struck her she uttered a fierce screaming grunt, and in 
a moment, about ten yards from where I stood there 



254 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

rushed from the jungle a bull and another cow rhinoc- 
eros bellowing most fiercely. Happily for us they did 
not see us, as the vision of the rhinoceros in very limited, 
and we were to leeward, so that they could not get our 
wind. But when about thirty yards distant some whiff 
of our wind must have reached them, for they wheeled 
round and charged furiously toward us. ' Fire, bwana, 
fire ! ' excitedly cried my boy ; and as he ceased speak- 
ing I could hear his heart thumping loudly. • Be still/ 
I said. 'Stand perfectly still '; and the lad, to his honor 
be it said, was brave enough to obey. When about ten 
paces distant, seeing that we remained motionless, they 
came to a halt, and eyed us fiercely, pawing the ground 
and snorting defiance. It was an embarrassing situa- 
tion. The eye wandered round for a tree up which to 
climb, but there was not one within reach. We were 
standing in dense mimosa tangle about chest high; flight 
through this was impossible. I thought, Should I fire ? 
But I determined not to do so, for even if, by the great- 
est good fortune, I brought one to the ground, there 
were still the other two. They themselves at last took 
the initiative. The cow which I had wounded stole 
away across the plain. I decided at once to follow her 
and get another shot. The other two stood gazing at 
us until they saw that she had outdistanced us, and 
then they quietly turned round and disappeared in the 
jungle." 

Like most other African travellers, Hannington has a 
hunter's joke to tell against himself. As his is charac- 
teristic, it is worth repeating. The tangle of an African 
" forest " is so dense, that it is the easiest thing in the 
world to pass by the largest game without seeing it, or 
even being aware of its vicinity. The first warning of 
the neighborhood of a rhinoceros or buffalo is often a 



JEt. 35.] Hunting a Rhinoceros. 255 

furious charge from some cover a few yards distant. In- 
stances have been known in which a hunter has almost 
stumbled over a sleeping lion, or has even run right up 
against an elephant ! * Often the only sign of the beast 
which he is diligently stalking, in order that he may re- 
plenish his exhausted larder and feed his hungry por- 
ters, is a certain thickening in the bush which suggests 
some solid body. It is not, therefore, odd if a hunter 
should occasionally send his bullet into the heart of a log, 
or to the core of an ant-hill, or flatten it against a rock. 

Here is Hannington's story. He says : " I had taken 
my butterfly-net and accompanied Wise for a walk. We 
had not gone far when we came to a beautiful flowering- 
shrub, covered with insects ; and here I should have 
probably remained for the rest of the morning, had I 
not been excitedly summoned by the others to come and 
hunt a rhinoceros which they had just sighted. ' Well,' 
said I, 'rhino or no rhino, I have just seen a new butter- 
fly, and I do not leave this spot till I have secured it.' 
Could any one know me so little as to suppose that I 
would lose the opportunity of capturing a new butterfly 
for a chance shot at a rhinoceros ? So I caught and 
boxed my fly, and then, with much elation, I seized my 
gun, and went in the direction pointed out. Wise had 
not yet been face to face with big game, and was in a 
great state of excitement, trembling with combined hope 
and fear. We marched in single file under cover of a 
tree ; and Wise was in such a state of high-pressure, 
that I momentarily expected the contents of his barrels 
to lodge themselves near my calves. 

" We took a hasty glance round the bush, and there, 
sure enough, we saw a magnificent rhino, lazily eating 

* Thomson, Through Masai Land, p. 550. 



256 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

the rich herbage, and taking no notice of our approach. 
Back we darted into cover. There was another bush 
about twenty yards ahead : my two companions were 
told oft* to crawl under its cover ; then I was to sudden- 
ly emerge to the right, and they to the left, and all to 
take aim and fire. If this produced a savage charge, 
there was the bush to serve as shelter. 

" It was an anxious moment. How would my com- 
panions conduct themselves ? Would they dodge, if 
necessary ? Would they stand firm, if need be ? ' Now, 
then, are you ready ? ' ' Yes, quite.' ' Xow for it ' 

"We emerged with bated breath: and lo ! — the rhi- 
noceros had disappeared, and there before us stood, or 
rather lay, a fallen tree ! Who shall portray our looks 
of disappointed disgust and surprise ! Even my boy, a 
born son of the forest, had been taken in." 

After reading an article which I had written in The 
C. M. Intelligencer, containing some Recollections of 
Bishop Hannington, one of his friends objected to a lion 
story there given, as an instance of his remarkable per- 
sonal courage. My friendly critic remarked that the 
story bore on the face of it an air of improbability. If 
this be so, I can only regret it ; but I gave the story al- 
most word for word as I received it from his own lips. 
I find reference to the incident in his diary, as occurring 
on the 16th of December, and venture to repeat it here, 
as illustrating his dauntless nature. Hannington him- 
self was always shy about telling this story to any 
stranger, lest it should be received with incredulity; but 
to those who knew him intimately it will not, I think, 
sound incredible. 

Both Hannington and Gordon had been severely 
scourged by fever ; but on Dec. 16th the former felt 



JEt. 35.] Encounter with Lions. 257 

better, and he thought to take a short stroll and collect 
some botanical specimens. At about a mile from car* p 
he saw some animal moving through the dense mimosa 
scrub, and firing, killed it. His prey proved to be a 
large lion's cub. The gun-bearer, seeing this, fled with 
every sign of terror, and shouted to him to do the same. 
It was time indeed to .do so. The cries of " Run, bwana, 
run ! " were accentuated by a double roar, and, looking 
round, Hannington saw the bereaved parents, a fine lion 
and lioness, coming toward him with long, bounding 
leaps over the scrub. An ordinary man, encountering 
lions face to face in the open for almost the first time, 
would probably have lost all presence of mind, and, 
turning to run, have been inevitably destroyed. He de- 
liberately faced round upon his enemy. The enraged 
lions were distant but a few paces, but they suddenly 
checked, and both stood, as though transfixed, glaring 
upon him. So they remained for some time, till Han- 
nington, placing one foot behind the other, and still 
keeping his eyes fixed upon the yellow orbs before him, 
gradually increased his distance, and, having placed 
about a hundred yards between himself and the mon- 
sters, quietly walked away. 

But the indomitable nature of the man comes out 
more strongly in what followed. Most men would have 
concluded that they had had enough of such an adven- 
ture, and have accepted their escape from the jaws of 
death, or at least would not have renewed the contest 
without assistance. Hannington was formed of quite 
another metal. Though the light was waning, he de- 
termined that he would return and secure the skin of 
the cub he had killed ; so he retraced his steps. When 
near enough to observe their motions, he could see that 
the lion and lioness were walking round about their 



258 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

cub, licking its body and filling the air with low growl- 
ings. At this moment an unknown flower caught his 
eye. He plucked it, took out his note-book, pressed it 
between the leaves, and classified it as far as he was 
able ; then, with coolness perfectly restored, he ran for- 
ward a few paces, threw up his arms and shouted ! Was 
it that the lions had never encountered so strange an 
antagonist before ? At all events, they looked up, then 
turned tail and bounded away. He dragged the cub 
for some distance, till having left the dangerous vicin- 
ity, he shouldered it and brought it into camp. 

Acts such as these gave him unbounded influence 
over his men. They learned to regard him as invinci- 
ble, and entertained a most wholesome dread of oppos- 
ing his expressed will. 

Matters were not going well at Kagei. All failed 
with fever, one after the other, and all at once. News, 
too, came that Raschid, who was in charge of the boat,* 
was delayed, through want of cloth, at Kwa Sonda. f 
Raschid appears, from the account, to have been a 
scamp. The unfortunates at Msalala had expected that 
he would bring to them a fresh supply of stores, and 
now, to their dismay, they learned that he had either 
wasted or appropriated the goods entrusted to him, to 

* The boat was carried in sections as far as Jordan's Nullah, 
where it remained until July, 1883, when Mr. Mackay came from 
U-Ganda. As the boat could not be launched from Msalala, where 
the Nullah is choked with weeds, and unnavigable, he took it to a 
village in Urima, where the fragments were united. The boat was 
launched on Dec. 3d, 1884, and named the Eleanor (after Mr. 
Wigram's eldest daughter). She proved to be a great success, and 
took the Mission party safely to U-Ganda, where she received the 
additional native name of Mirembi or Peace. 

t Marked on the map Msalala. The name changes according 
to the chief. It is now Kwa Chasama. 



JEt. 35.] The Milk War. 2 $9 

such an extent that they would have to send him some 
of their own rapidly diminishing stock. It was decided 
that Ashe and Gordon should go to meet him, and bring 
on his caravan, while Hannington negotiated with Rom- 
wa, King of U-Zinza, with a view to his assistance in 
reaching the head of the lake. Romwa's capital is on 
the shore of the lake, a few days' journey from Msalala. 
In the meanwhile, the neighboring chief was making 
himself very disagreeable, and charging exorbitant 
prices for all provisions, especially for milk. Hanning- 
ton called this " the milk war." 

"Dec. 16th. — The milk war opened again early this 
morning. The first thing was the arrival of the two 
headmen who own the cows. They came into the boma 
(the fence about the camp), and posted themselves down 
without any especial remark. By and by the chief's 
mother, wives, and sisters arrived, accompained by 
ladies of the court bearing a present of Indian corn, 
which they laid respectfully at my feet. This I ac- 
cepted, as coming from the ladies, and gave them gilt 
buttons to the value of the corn — for that is the way 
one accepts a present in these parts. By and by, while 
these visitors were still with us, a present of milk arrived 
from the chief, and, lastly, the chief himself and his ret- 
inue. My yard was crowded. I at once announced that 
I did not want a present of milk, but a supply of milk 
every day, and that I was ready to pay a fair price for 
it. The chief then asked for a red pocket-handkerchief 
in return for his milk. I told him that I had not ac- 
cepted it ; that I should give him no present, as we were 
not friends, and that he was trying to drive the white 
man out of his country ; that if he persisted in his con- 
duct he would gain his end, for we should all leave. 



260 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

He then asked me what we should do with the huts 
which we were building. To which I briefly replied, 
1 Moto ' (fire) ; then I expatiated upon our readiness to 
remain with him, and that we wanted to be friends if he 
would act fairly by us. I then asked what they would 
arrange to supply us with milk for. He replied that if 
we wanted milk daily, we must pay for it with red cloth. 
This exceeded any of his former demands, and I fairly 
broke out in wrath, and drove them all from my pres- 
ence. I then followed them over to Wise's as quickly 
as I could, but not in time enough, for he came out to 
meet me in great triumph, saying, ' I am flooded with 
milk to-day ; see, I have got this present from the chief.' 
This really was too provoking. I had sat with that milk 
under my nose for half an hour. I had refused it be- 
cause I was fighting for my friends, who are expecting 
to stop here long after I have left for U-Ganda, and now 
all that I had done and said was frustrated. I returned 
to my quarters rather crestfallen and worried, feeling 
that I had got the worst of it for the fifth or sixth time. 
However, I think that, with a little perseverance, I shall 
yet bring them to terms, and the battle must be fought 
out for the sake of the brethren who remain." 

After the adventure with the lions narrated above, the 
people of the district treated the dauntless Englishman 
with greater respect. He had managed to recall his ter- 
rified boy before he regained the camp, and after giving 
him a good scolding for leaving him to be killed while 
he fled to save his own bones, he made him drag the 
carcase of the cub for the remainder of the distance 
home. " The boy Backit," he says, " walked in perfect 
terror, expecting every moment that the lions would 
hunt him down, especially as he was obliged to drag 



/Et. 35.] A Camp Leader s Work. 261 

the cub along the ground. Nor could he sleep for two 
or three nights afterwards, feeling sure that they would 
come to find their offspring. The affair made a great 
stir in the village. They would scarcely believe that I 
had ventured to kill ' a child of the lion.' It was, they 
said, a far more hazardous thing to do than killing the 
lion himself. I almost think that now I shall get milk 
sent in regularly ! " 

The skin of this cub, so dearly obtained, was unfor- 
tunately eaten by ants, but the tuft at the end of its tail 
is still preserved as a trophy of one of the coolest acts 
of deliberate hardihood ever performed by a man. 

On Dec. 19th Gordon and Ashe returned with Raschid 
and his caravan. Both were very ill, as also was Wise. 
The whole burden for a while fell upon Hannington, 
who was himself again failing with fever. He describes 
the kind of work which falls to a camp leader from 
sunrise to sunset, in his half-humorous, half-pathetic 
style : 

" Moses : ' What am I to do with this ? ' Raschid : 
How am I to arrange that?' 'There is rain coming; 
how are we to manage ? ' etc., etc. Between the patients, 
the constant worry of the caravan, and my own vexing 
weakness, I was in the depth of despair. The boys, 
the men, the food, all required constant looking after. 
Natives ever coming and going, begging, buying, and 
selling. I got through the day, for grace was sufficient. 
"The next morning found all slightly better; but be- 
fore I could get to Ashe, he had crept over to me full 
of perturbation and bad news. Raschid and his men 
had announced their intention of immediately leaving 
us. What did this mean ? Starvation. It would throw 
us on the exorbitant natives, to whom we would have 



262 James Hannington. [A.D. 1882. 

to pay ready money, in the shape of cloth, instead oi 
having the help of the coastmen, whom we could al- 
ways pay with promissory notes upon our agent at 
Zanzibar. The men had been told that they might re- 
turn when Raschid went back, but we had anticipated 
that he would remain with us until our winter huts were 
completed, and a temporary station formed. I pleaded 
with the men, and put the matter in every possible light 
before them, but all without avail. They thought that 
they had us in their power, and, in African fashion, they 
meant to use it. ' Will you goV ' Yes.' Suddenly I 
bounded from my seat, and said, 'Then go — go at 
once — instantly leave my presence, and go ; but you 
go as runaways!' The afternoon brought messages 
that they did not exactly wish to leave us on those 
terms, and that they supposed they must stop." 

An interview with the men settled the matter satisfac- 
torily. They consented to remain without Raschid and 
the malcontents, so he and his ill-conditioned crew were 
suffered to depart. The same day brought a message 
from Romwa that he would assist the Mission party to 
the utmost of his power, and supply them with canoes 
for the voyage up the lake. His terms seemed to Han- 
nington, who had grown wise by this time in the wily 
ways of African chiefs, too liberal to be altogether satis- 
factory; however, it was decided that he and Mr. Gordon 
should visit Romwa's capital, leaving the others in 
charge of the station at Msalala. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE LAKE. 
(1882-83.) 

" He that hath so many causes of joy is very much in love with 
sorrow and peevishness if he loses all these pleasures and chooses 
to sit down on his own little handful of thorns." — Jer. Taylor. 

" Christmas Day, 1882. — Gordon very ill in bed. Ashe 
and Wise tottering out of fever beds; I myself just about 
to totter in again. In spite of our poor condition, we 
determined to have our Christmas cheer. We had a 
happy celebration of the Holy Communion at 8 a.m., 
and thought much of the dear ones at home, praying 
for us and wishing us true Christmas joy." 

There, in the heart of the great wilderness, that little 
band of fever-stricken men assembled together, and for 
a while forgot their loneliness and their pains as they 
offered up their Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. 
There in the dark land, where the shadow of spiritual 
death hung like a heavy pall which might be seen and 
felt, they drew near with faith and took that Holy Sac- 
rament to their comfort. With angels and archangels, 
and with all the company of heaven; with the Church 
of Christ scattered throughout the world, they raised 
their weary voices to laud and magnify His Holy Name, 
who had sent His dear Son, Jesus Christ, that their 
bodies might be made clean by His Body, and their 
souls washed through His most precious blood. And 
as they ate and drank the holy symbols there, in the 

(263) 



264 James Hamtington. [A.D. 1882. 

tangled forest, amidst wild beasts and wilder men, they 
felt that neither time nor space could separate them 
from their fellow-worshippers who also on that day- 
were making their Eucharistic Feast ; but that they 
being many were one bread, and one body, for were 
they not all partakers of That One Bread ? 

" In spite of our poor plight," writes the leader of the 
expedition, " we determined to celebrate the day ; so I 
killed a kid, and Ashe undertook the pudding. As to 
the pudding, I am sure that many a cottager had a bet- 
ter one, but I doubt if any enjoyed theirs much more 
than we did ours. Its drawbacks were certainly not 
few. The flour was both musty and full of beetles and 
their larvae; the raisins had fermented; the pudding was 
underboiled, and yet boiled enough to have stuck to the 
bottom of the sauce-pan, whereby its lower vitals had 
suffered considerably ; and yet a musty, fermented, un- 
derdone, and burnt mass of dough was such a real treat 
that day, that I cannot remember ever to have enjoyed 
a Christmas pudding half so much. We felt quite cruel 
in denying a slice to Gordon, who was not in a fit con- 
dition for such delicacies." 

A move was made in the direction of Romwa's on the 
30th of December. By this time the C. M. S. camp was 
in a sad state of destitution. Owing to the roguery of 
Raschid, they were now almost entirely without cloth ; 
anglice, they were almost penniless. 

To be penniless in Africa is to be destitute indeed. In 
no country in the world is the rule of nothing for noth- 
ing more rigorously adhered to. Hannington was soon 
to have an illustration of this. When he reached Mkola's 
village with Gordon, the others following some distance 
behind, he found himself without cloth. He says: "It- 



^t- 35-] Thankful amidst Trials. 265 

began to pour with rain, and we had no better refuge 
than a tree. I tried in vain to purchase something to 
eat, but could only succeed in getting one old woman to 
trust us with a little milk, which we shared." The rest of 
the party did not come up, and seemed to have lost them- 
selves. " We were utterly bewildered and exhausted, 
for we had had no food for eighteen hours. Before 
following any decided course of action, I said I would 
take my bed under a distant tree and get a little rest, 
for my soul fainted within me. I had, however, scarcely 
composed myself, when my boy, Duta, came from Ashe, 
saying that they had mistaken the road and were some 
two or three miles ahead. At once we started. A rhi- 
noceros charging across the path rather revived me ; 
and in about two hours we came up with Ashe, who was 
encamped by the edge of the water; and soon we had 
our first boiling of anything like drinkable water since 
leaving Uyui last October. So we spent the rest of this 
the last day of 1882 in peace and happiness, praising 
our loving Father who had strengthened and protected 
us thus far." 

The next day, New-Year's Day, 1883, the canoe journey 
to Romwa's should have commenced, but as Mr. Wise 
w r as sick, and could not superintend the porters, they 
left half their loads behind them at the old camp, and 
had to be sent back several times before all was gathered 
up. The captain of the canoe also began to give proof 
that he was capable of making trouble. He demanded 
extra fare before he would consent to move. 

"Jan. 2nd. — The things arrived early ; but one load, 
the most important of all, was left behind, and yet again 
we had to send back. Again the old man of the sea re- 
fused to start, saying that his canoe leaked. I had an 
12 



266 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883, 

attack of dysentery, but as Ashe and Wise were both in- 
capacitated by sickness, everything fell on me. I selected 
a few packages, and had them stored in the canoe, at 
the same time bidding the Mzee* remember that I had 
ten more to come. At 2 a.m. he called me up and said 
we must start. Well, unearthly as this hour was, I got 
up, saw to everything, cooked my brethren some food, 
had the tent taken down, and the things taken to the 
boat, when Mzee turned round and declared that he had 
no room for the luggage, and refused to start till day- 
light. This meant that my sick companions and I should 
sit about in dewy grass for some three hours. My pa- 
tience now broke down, and I said that, Mzee or no 
Mzee, I would start. Hereupon he and his crew rushed 
to the boat and began tearing out the baggage. A fear- 
ful scrimmage ensued, during which I trod into a colony 
of ants, and got wofully punished. Everything was 
mixed up so that we could not tell what we had taken, 
and what we had left, and eventually many packages 
we could ill spare were left behind. However, we did 
get off about 4 a.m., a hippo blowing a salute as we 
started. We had not gone far when a loud bang startled 
us, and, looking up, I saw two legs of my only chair fly- 
ing upwards. My stupid boy had placed his gun loaded 
and full cocked into the canoe. My best waterproof 
rug was cut in half, the side of the canoe broken, and 
my chair spoilt. Happily no one was hurt. I am very 
angry, and at once have all the guns secured, but forget 
the pistols. 

" Our next escapade is to rob some natives. Our men 
spy a small canoe, to which they at once give chase, and 

* " Kiswahili for 'old man.' The captain of the canoe was 
always called Mzee. I translated this somewhat freely ' the old man 
of the sea,' as he was so excessively troublesome." 






m 



«& JU* 







^Et. 35.] A Canoe Voyage on the Nyanza. 267 

hunt it down. A goat was handed over, and transferred 
to our boat. I thought that they were merely having a 
chat or friendly barter, for the thing was done as qui- 
etly as possible, and we went on our way. It was not until 
some time after that it came out that the goat had been 
forced from its owner. When I expressed my horror, I 
was informed that Mtesa's men are accustomed to act 
in this manner ! 

" The scenery now becomes very beautiful and varied. 
Cormorants, darters, belted kingfishers, and a very small 
blue kingfisher, with a bright red breast and dark blue 
back, constantly cross our track. Crocodiles and hippos 
float lazily on the surface. We land for lunch. Bananas 
and milk abound. The people all flock down to see the 
first white men who have ever passed that way. The 
greatest excitement prevails. They pull our hair and 
beards; they want to know if my boots grow to my feet, 
etc., etc. Their chief wears an expression of delight 
beyond bounds at six needles with which I present him. 
At sunset we encamped for the night. Gordon had to be 
lifted out of the boat. Ashe crept out and at once went 
to bed. There was no firewood. After an hour's search 
I found a little, and bought some more, and then super- 
intended the cooking, for the boys were all worn out. 
Then came Mzee, and said that I must get the things 
out of the canoe, as it leaked. And so I did, and most 
of the cloth was wet through, It was very dark, we had 
but one candle, and the air was so thick with mosquitoes 
that one might almost have cut a slice from it with a 
knife. At last the bales were got out, and I sat down 
to enjoy a well-earned meal, when Duta came and called 
me from the tent and said that the men refused to go 
further unless they were paid extra cloth, and from what 
he had heard he thought they meant to desert us. I 



268 . James Hannington. [A.D. 1883, 

kept this from the brethren to spare them any extra 
anxiety, but slept little that night. However, daylight 
found the men still there. Three valuable hours were 
spent in haggling, and in the end I had to agree to pay 
them more cloth. At 11 a.m. we started. We had not 
gone far when a storm gathered, and we put into port ; 
and only just in time, for a fearful hurricane burst upon 
us. Great waves, like those of the sea, rose almost in 
an instant, and beat upon the shore, washing up weeds 
and shells. By and by we went on. We passed a rocky 
little island completely surrounded by crocodiles drift- 
ing about on the surface ; and one huge monster, which 
had been basking in the sun, rolled lazily into the water 
and disappeared as we approached. By and by three 
hippos put their huge heads above water and snorted 
at us. They followed the canoe for a considerable dis- 
tance. The hippos of the lake are sometimes very savage 
and dangerous. I felt no temptation to have a swim. 
The sun then sank into the west, and we were still at 
sea. I looked at the pale faces of the invalids, I looked 
at the luggage, the tent, my helpless boys, and the savage 
ruffians in the canoe, and my heart rather sank. We did 
not reach the camping-place which the boatmen had 
selected until 8 p.m. It was so dark that it was some 
time before we could find a break in the reeds through 
which we might wade ashore, and when we landed the 
place w r as so rocky and wet that the tent could not be 
pitched. We crept on about half a mile till we reached 
a hut. We begged admittance, and the owner liberally 
said that we might occupy the goat-house. ' Impos- 
sible L' said I, as I beheld the thatched-in manure heap, 
ankle-deep in mire, so we returned tottering and stum- 
bling and down-hearted to the boat. But here things 
were so hopeless that we again made request for admit- 



JEt. 35.] A Mutinous Crew — Romwa. 269 

tance to the hut. This time the native, seeing my com- 
panions' woful faces, generously vacated his dwelling, 
and we slept in the open air within his enclosure. 

"At 2 a.m. rain came on, and the invalids took to the 
nut, but I preferred wrapping myself in my waterproof 
and facing it. When daylight dawned, I found to my 
despair that the canoe had sunk during the night, and 
that almost everything we had was drenched. It was 
hard to think that note-books, barometers, botanical 
specimens, etc., were all injured and some spoiled. But 
the man who goes to Central Africa must learn ' to take 
joyfully the spoiling of his goods.' The old man of the 
sea and his crew refused to bale the canoe out, so the 
boys and I set to work in pouring rain, and by eleven 
o'clock the weather broke and we started. Very soon 
the clouds re-formed, though evidently only for soft rain, 
but the men turned the head of the canoe toward a 
deep bay, and stated their intention of landing us there 
and taking us no further. ' Should we find canoes 
there ? ' ' No.' ' Was it far from Romwa's ? ' ' Yes ; 
altogether out of the way.' ' Why, we shall die if we 
are left in this way.' ' Well, Mzee says he will not go 
on.' Then I said in a firm, clear voice, ' Give me my 
gun.' I deliberately proceeded to load it, and pointing 
at Mzee at about a yard distant from his chest, I said : 

" 'Now, will you go on ? ' 

" ' Yes, Bwana, yes ; don't fire ! ' The effect was mag- 
ical ; round flew the head of the canoe, once more we 
speeded over the waves ; and a few minutes later his 
own men were imitating my solemn gestures, and laugh- 
ing at me, confessing that, after all, they were very glad 
that I had made them go on. But I had found out a 
secret — I was, from that moment, the master, and it is 
not too much to say that our lives were saved by that 



270 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

one prompt action. I could now afford to be generous, 
and so promised the men a goat when they landed if 
they behaved themselves well. The offer was received 
with joyous acclamations, and we paddled shoreward 
for lunch, thinking all trouble over. When lunch was 
finished and a start made, they coolly said that they 
would go no further than the next village, and then 
leave us. I made no comment, thinking that I would get 
there first. To our great delight, when we landed we 
found that the men whom we had sent overland had hit 
upon this spot, so that now we had a small army of men 
to dry our goods, pitch tent, and get things in order. 
We farther learned that Romwa's capital was close at 
hand. A messenger from Romwa himself soon arrived, 
and we thought that all trouble was past. Alas ! . . . . 
Well, first we were detained two days, during which 
Romwa made medicine, and consulted oracles as to 
whether the white men would harm him. The Delphian 
reply was, ' The white men are good for you and for 
your people, but injurious to the medicine-men.' Then 
Romwa was not content with his present. Asked why 
I had sent him such a rubbishing present. He was a 
great Sultan ; he wanted cloth and guns. This was a 
bitter pill, but we resolved not to yield. 

" On Sunday, the 7th, I failed with severe fever, but 
could not give way to it, for somebody must see the 
matter through. I only remember suffering more pain. 
Romwa sent to ask the white men to come and visit 
him, and next day a start was made. No sooner had 
we got fairly off than I perceived that there was a terri- 
ble leak in the canoe, and that the canoemen were 
drunk. We landed and repaired the mischief, and the 
men plied themselves with more pombe (native wine) 
tvhich they had brought with them. The result was 



,Et. 35.] " White man, be Calm." 271 

that when we resumed our way they were worse than 
ever, and yelled and screamed until my poor comrades 
were overcome by the fearful noise. The captain then 
stood up and executed a war-dance upon a bale of 
goods, ending by falling upon me. This was more than 
I could stand, so I gave him a needed warning and said 
that next time he should have a cold bath. In a rage 
he ordered his men to land us at once. This they re- 
fused to do, fearing Romwa, and perhaps my wrath 
more than the captain's. Then a free fight commenced, 
which ended in the captain falling overboard. He 
climbed in again, and furiously seizing a paddle, aimed 
a heavy blow, as I thought, at Ashe, which happily just 
missed him, but shivered the paddle to pieces. 

" Believe me, ill as I was, I bounded from my seat, 
seized him, pulled him down, and dared him to move. 
I was proceeding to further measures when one of the 
men took me and gently forced me back into my seat, 
and then proceeded to pat me on the back and talk 
in this fashion : ' White man, be calm, be calm ; gently, 
gently ; don't disturb yourself. We will go on ; indeed 
we will. White man, be calm; quietly, quietly, quietly.' 
With each word he administered a gentle pat, until at 
last I fairly burst out laughing, and the April shower of 
wrath fled before the sunshine of mirth." 

"Jan. gth. — Romwa sent word that he was coming to 
see us, so we made ready to receive his majesty suitably. 
Presently a great noise was heard, and, looking out, we 
saw a long procession of medicine-men carrying horns 
full of rancid butter, probably mixed with blood ; then 
came Romwa himself, an immensely tall man, not much 
short of seven feet ; then wives, councillors, and medi- 
cine-men ad lib. We were asked to place his chair in 
the centre of the tent, and as soon as he had seated him- 



272 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

self, the horns were planted in the ground all round him 
to protect him from the white man's witcheries. Nor 
was this enough. As an additional safeguard, the mon- 
arch had anointed himself with castor-oil from head to 
foot. Never had we been witness to such a scene of su- 
perstition, nor, I think I may add, smelt such a perfume. 
" Romwa was anxious that we should stay and build, 
but he soon got upon the universal subject of give. I 
told him that I had a very handsome robe for him, but 
no cloth and no guns, whereupon he rose in a passion 
and stalked off, saying he was a great chief, and would 
have a great present. We were betrayed. Instead of 
the mild sage we had been led to suppose him, we saw 
the royal savage in his true colors. And yet, in spite of 
his being one of the worst men we had to deal with, 
there was something in him that I loved. When alone 
with me and free for a few minutes from the influence 
of his medicine-men, he would grow kindly, would feel 
my pulse, and pat my fevered brow." 

Romwa continued to demand guns, which the Mission 
party steadily refused, though their lives were made a 
burden to them by the exactions of their host. Han- 
nington, speaking of that first day, says : " The day ends. 
Never, I think, did I pass through one much worse, for 
in addition to the incessant worry, I was very seriously 
ill, having to speak constantly when utterly unfit to do 
so." 

" \oth. — A terrible night of fever, and inclined to be 
delirious. Romwa arrived early, and in rather a better 
temper than yesterday. He gave permission for us to 
move up the hill, as our present situation is very low. 
I had several semi-faints while moving, but managed to 
walk up the hill, only collapsing twice on the way up. 



JEt. 35.] Romwds Extortions. 273 

It was a most lovely spot. We pitched our tents upon 
a rocky eminence clothed with beautiful foliage, from 
whence we gazed out upon the broad expanse of the 
mighty inland sea." 

The next day Romwa repeated his demands for pres- 
ents. He took a fancy to Duta's gun, and requested 
that it might be sent to him at once. Hannington ab- 
solutely refused. He said that nothing should be taken 
by force from his servant. Romwa, seeing that he was 
firm, offered Duta two inferior guns in exchange. The 
frightened boy unwillingly consented, and Romwa ap- 
peared in the distance, afraid to expose himself to witch- 
craft, but shouting his orders from a neighboring rock. 
As soon as the gun was taken from Duta, Hannington 
ordered the tent to be struck, and stated that his party 
would at once leave the country. Romwa shouted back 
that, in that case, they would have to pay two hundred 
cloths as hongo, as they would not leave as friends. 
Hannington replied that, rather than be so treated, he 
would pay and go. Romwa now perceived that he had 
gone too far, and sent a more conciliatory message, but 
they told him that they were fully determined not to re- 
main unless they were allowed perfect liberty to come 
and go as they liked, and were guaranteed against ex- 
tortion. To emphasize this, the tent was struck. Romwa 
now gave in, and granted all they asked, but for some 
time they were in a very awkward position, and felt that 
they were kept there as a kind of state prisoners, and at 
his mercy. However, at last, the king consented that 
Hannington should proceed by himself to U-Ganda, 
upon condition that the others remained. On Jan. 
22d, he accordingly started in a canoe with two of his 
boys. The usual procrastination delayed the start, and 
by midnight the canoe and its occupants had not made 

12* 



2/4 



James Hannington. 



[A.D. 1883. 



much way. Hannington says: " We crept quietly ashore, 
uncertain whether the people were friendly or not. A 
storm on the lake had drenched all our things. I had 
my wet bed and blankets carried up a little way from 
the swamp-belt of the lake. The boys and men were 
afraid to remain with me so far from the canoe, so I laid 
my weary frame to rest under my umbrella, for it was 
raining, and unmindful of natives or beasts of prey, I 




commended myself to the care of the Almighty, and fell 
asleep. Soon a tremendous roar close to my head caused 
me to start wide awake. What could it be — a lion ? 
No; lions are not so noisy. It was only a hippopotamus. 
He had, no doubt, come up to feed, and stumbled nearly 
on top of this strange object, a sleeping white man with 
an umbrella over his head ; so bellowing out his sur- 
prise he made off for the lake." 



Hannington's sketch, of which the subjoined is a not 
unfaithful reproduction, does not altogether give the 



JEt. 35.] Hospitality of the French Priests. 275 

idea of a night scene, but is otherwise very graphic, and 
illustrates not only the incident, but the humorous good 
temper with which he was accustomed to regard the dis- 
comforts and perils of a missionary life. 

" Before daybreak we were off, and soon reached 
Kagei. I was welcomed by the Arab chief, Sayed bin 
Saif — ' the white man's friend ' — and as I was seated 
sipping some delicious coffee, a strange white man 
stood before me. I sprang to my feet, only to hear, 
'Bon jour, Monsieur. C'est M. Hannington, n'est-ce 
pas ? ' and then I knew that I was in the presence of one 
of the French Jesuits. They had recently left U-Ganda, 
and had much to tell me of our party at Rubaga, who 
were anxiously expecting my arrival. 

" 24/^. — I had no sooner finished my usual cup of 
milk and porridge, than one of the priests arrived and 
bade me to breakfast. I expected a cup of coffee, but 
found d^jeAner a la fourchette, and at six o'clock the hos- 
pitable priests again provided for me a sumptuous din- 
ner. They were very brotherly and kind." 

Sayed bin Saif also treated Hannington right royally 
during his short stay at Kagei, and kept his table sup- 
plied with delicacies. 

He says : " To-day being Sunday, he sent me an extra 
grand spread. A chicken stuffed with almonds and 
raisins ; a rich cake beautifully prepared with honey, 
and I have no doubt he would have sent me a second 
edition at night, but when he called to see how I was, I 
begged him to send no more to-day, as I had had enough 
for both meals." 

When Mr. Gordon arrived the large-hearted Arab 
sent him a special dish of curried beef, with rice banked 
up on it, mixed with raisins and all manner of curious 



2j6 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

spices. Hannington says : " This change of food has 
benefited us ; we have scarcely tasted meat for three 
months." 

" I now began," he writes, " to prepare for the journey 
onward to Rubaga. Resolving not to return to Romwa's, 
I sent canoes to try and bring off Gordon and Ashe, if 
necessary, even by stealth. However, in a favorable 
mood, Romwa consented to their departure ; so Ashe 
returned to Msalala, and Gordon joined me at Kagei. 
We then agreed that I should go round by land to 
Msalala and bring the remainder of our goods to Kagei; 
after which we hoped, both of us, to be able to proceed 
to Buganda. 

"Jan. 30th. — Took leave of the French priests and 
Sayed bin Saif. The latter was suffering from head- 
ache, and was greatly delighted with some 'sherbet' 
(Eno's Fruit Salt) which I gave him. I also presented 
him with our barometer, an article which I knew he was 
most ambitious to possess. 1.30, started with six men, 
a slave of the Arab's, and a guide, with my faithful 
Duta and Ibrahim. Walked till 4, and camped in a very 
pretty village in U-Sukuma." 

" I had to cross U-Rima, in parts of which they had 
never seen a white man before. I had no reason to sup- 
pose that they would molest me. However, on Feb. 4th, 
a number of warriors, almost two hundred, turned out 
and surrounded me. The least show of resistance or of 
fear on our part might easily have been fatal. They 
peremptorily ordered me to stop and pitch my tent, and 
then they surrounded me with a cordon of armed men 
to prevent my escape. In the meanwhile they des- 
patched runners to the chief of U-Rima, to tell him 
that they had captured a white man, and to ask what 
they should do with him. I was kept in this durance 



JEt. 35.] A Council of War. 277 

vile for the whole day, but I punished the rough soldiers 
around me, and myself not a little, by sulking within my 
closed tent, so that they were unable to inspect either 
me or my things. Just about sunset an ambassador ar- 
rived from the chief, demanding a present. I assured 
him that I had nothing suitable with me, whereupon he 
replied that he must be convinced that I spoke the truth. 
So, accordingly, I had to show him all I possessed. At 
my blanket — you know my blanket, it has been my com- 
panion for fifteen years — he paused. ' He must have 
that blanket, Bwana Mkubwa (great master).' I said, 
' The white man is cold ; he wants much clothes. If you 
take his blanket he will die. When the sun is gone to 
rest the white man grows chill. Leave him his blanket.' 
The earnestness of my eloquence prevailed, and the next 
day I was permitted to depart on condition that a mes- 
senger should accompany me to receive a present when 
we reached Msalala. 

" Then arose a question about canoes to cross the Nul- 
lah. At first they were denied, but after a great deal of 
palaver, my arguments again prevailed. A council of war 
on an occasion of this kind was really a fine sight. I 
would sit on my bed in the tent and have the curtains 
at both ends flung aside. Then the ambassador would 
take the seat of honor next to me, his chief attendants 
near him, while close to me would be my men and boys. 
All around the tent without would crowd a throng of 
breathless listeners. I would tell my head man in Kis- 
wahili what I wanted, and this he would translate in 
Kirima to the ambassador. He would say three or four 
words only at a time, snapping his fingers between each 
sentence, and further pausing for the audience to ex- 
claim ' Baba.' As for example : 'The great white man ' 
('Baba!') 'has come a long distance' ('Baba!'). 'He 



278 James Ha?ini?tgton. [A.D. 1883. 

has come to teach the black man ' (' Baba ! Baba ! Ba- 
ba ! '). ' He asks the black man to be kind ' (' Baba ! ' 
rather feebly); and so on ; and if he spoke for an hour, 
no one would move, or interrupt, or object until he had 
concluded. Then all eyes would be turned to the am- 
bassador, who in the same solemn way would state his 
objections. The first council of this kind is amusing 
enough, but when they come to be repeated two or three 
times a day, one's patience is most sorely taxed. The pa- 
tience required in dealing with Africans is almost super- 
human." 

All this time Hannington was in great distress of body. 
The very day after he left Kagei he wrote in his diary . 
" Very ill with dysentery and violent internal pain. My 
liver, too, is in such a state that I have to walk with my 
hands tied to my neck to prevent my arms moving, as 
their least motion gives me intense pain." And so on, 
from day to day, ever from bad to worse, till, fainting 
and exhausted with cruel suffering, he barely crawled 
to his friend's tent at Msalala. He had struggled long 
and gamely, but his weakness now came upon him sud- 
denly like an armed man ; he could no longer hide from 
himself the bitter truth ; and the brave heart which had 
so long supported him at last gave way. He confessed 
that he was " done." 




CO 

oo 

00 



I 

CO 

pq 

CO 

> 

i— i 

H 
< 

pq 

Q 
W 
g 

< 
H 
H 

Q 



CHAPTER XVII. 

BEATEN BACK. 
(l88 3 .) 

" In la sua voluntade e nostra pace." 

In His will is our peace. DANTE. 

"Joie, pleurs de joie ; renonciation totale et douce." 

Pascal. 

"When Hannington bade farewell to his friends at 
Kagei and started for Msalala, no one would have been 
more incredulous than himself had it been suggested 
that he was also bidding farewell to Africa. But it was 
even so. His struggles against those increasing symp 
toms by which an over- wrought nature was giving him 
notice of her inability longer to endure the strain put 
upon her, had been heroic. He had refused to believe 
that he was to be stopped before he reached his des- 
*ination, and had set his face desperately toward the 
goal at the head of the lake. But it began now to dawn 
upon his reluctant mind that he was beaten. 

Racked with fever ; torn by dysentery, scarce able to 
stand upright under the grip of its gnawing agony; with 
his arms lashed to his neck lest their least movement 
should cause intolerable anguish to his diseased and 
swollen liver — the bright and buoyant figure which had 
so often led the caravan with that swinging stride of 
his, or which had forgotten fatigue at the close of a 
long march and dashed off in pursuit of some rare in- 
sect — 

(279) 



280 * James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

" His beard a foot before him, and his hair a yard behind," 
was now bent and feeble, like that of a very old man. 

Very pitiful is it to read the following — the words 
sound like a groan : " I am, I regret to say, beginning 
to look backwards. My life has become a burden to me. 
Oh, it should not be." When at last he reached Msala- 
la, after a week's painful travel, he unburdened his heart 
to Mr. Ashe. 

" The reply was, ' Listen to a letter which I have writ- 
ten to the Committee about you.' It ran somewhat as 
follows : ' Hannington is pressing on against all our ad- 
vice : if he still lives, I look upon it as your duty to re- 
call him.' " 

There can be no doubt that Mr. Ashe was right. To 
have persisted under such circumstances would have 
been little short of suicide. " So," writes Hannington, 
" with a heart bowed with disappointment, I consented 
to leave those brave men to bear the burden and heat 
of the day by themselves. Yet, though deeply thankful 
for a spared life, I have never ceased to regret that, in 
a weak moment, I looked back." 

To Mr. Wigram he wrote in a very broken-hearted 
way : " I dread to write to you, because my letter is one 
of the keenest disappointment, and contains no good 

news I am not dull at my broken health and the 

constant pain I suffer. I am not dull at the very slight 
prospect, from a human point of view, that I shall ever 
reach home. I am dull that I have been permitted to do 
so little for the Society. I am dull because I think that a 
few pounds extra in outfit would have made an immense 
difference to me. If I live a little longer I will write a 
short list of things that I have personally suffered much 
from not having, ^"io will, I think, cover them all. I 
blame no one. It was simply a matter of want of expe- 



/Et. 35.] Retreat. 281 

rience. But, alas ! it costs both myself and the Society 
much, for I am a practical failure, and I have suffered 

terribly. Forgive me I hope my heart is full of 

praise for the tender mercies of the Lord. Even to-day 
I have experienced that.'" 

Hannington now made arrangements, with a sad heart 
enough, for his departure. He arranged that Mr. Ashe 
should take his place, and accompany Mr. Gordon to 
Rubaga. He established Mr. Wise at Kagei. He re- 
ceived a deputation from the wily Romwa, who, " like 
Pharaoh, regretted that he had let the people go." 
Then, having put everything in as good order as he was 
able, and committed his fellow-workers and their Holy 
Cause to the keeping of his God, he threw himself into 
the same strong Hands, and, turning his face away from 
the great lake, commenced the long and weary journey 
to the distant coast. Alas ! how different was the 
aspect of that wild countn r to him now to the seeming 
of the land when he had entered it seven months be- 
fore. Then it was the land of hope, and ever}' step of 
the march over that seven or eight hundred miles of 
forest, morass, and desert — from the moment when he 
leapt into the water and waded ashore at Saadani, to 
that in which he gazed upon the waters of the Victoria 
Nyanza — had been lighted up by the gladness of his 
own heart, and the thought that every stage of the 
journey was one march nearer the sphere of his w x ork. 
Now, he was returning, a disappointed man — in his own 
opinion, and that of his friends, appointed to die. He 
writes to Mr. Wigram from Uyui : " The rainy season is 
just at its worst. Blackburn is going to see me on my 
way. Perhaps it won't be far. I am going on and on, 
but against hope ; I am now a complete wreck. Do not 
make this public, for I do not wish my wife to see this 



282 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

mail. I have much want to write, but can't." So he 
writes in disjointed sentences; and, from the quavering 
formation of the characters and the straggling trend of 
the lines, the reader of that letter can easily surmise his 
extreme weakness and exhaustion. It is wonderful to 
note how, under such circumstances, he still continued 
to look at things from their bright side, and to take 
advantage of every happy or humorous incident of the 
journey for future description and delineation. In him 
the old proverb, " There is life for a living one," found 
its most literal illustration. 

But we must give a few extracts from his own journal. 

"Feb. yth. — I have arranged to start to-day from 
Msalala. It was a sad moment saying good-bye to Ashe 
and Duta." 

As we have seen, Hannington possessed a wonderful 
gift of attracting to himself the devoted attachment of 
young men. His English servant had thrown his arms 
about his neck and wept passionately when he left Hurst- 
pierpoint ; his black boys, also, felt and owned his in- 
fluence. Duta was no exception. When left alone with 
him upon one occasion, Hannington wrote of him in the 
following terms: "I am now under the most tender care 
of my faithful boy. However ill, I should be content to 
be in his hands. The Lord has indeed blessed me in 
this respect, for none of the others have been able to 
get on with their boys." 

" 11th, Sunday. — I had the Service to myself, and was 
refreshed by it and the pleasant rest. I have tried to 
hire men to carry me, but cannot conscientiously afford 
their price. 

" \2th. — Started at daybreak, and soon entered the 
plain. It was covered with thick grass, wringing wet 



/Et. 35.] Horrors of the Rainy Season. 283 

with dew and higher than one's head, and there was 
water in most places up to the ankles; elsewhere mud 
of the most horrible consistence. No Sussex fallow 
ever bound more tenaciously. The detonations were as 
loud sometimes as pistol-pops as the foot was drawn 
out and the air rushed into the deep hole in which it 
had been imbedded. Several times I thought I must 
give up before the three hours' march was over. Then 
came a second plain, with even worse ground and more 
water. One of thc^se tropical showers came on, accom- 
panied by thunder and lightning, and we took refuge in 
a native hut, while the ground literally ran with water. 

" i^t/i. — I was so exhausted yesterday that I thought 
it advisable to try to get carried to-day, but could not 
succeed in making an arrangement, so walked as far as 
the little Sultan's. They were at war. Two corpses lay 
in the path, evidently only just killed. One was head- 
less. On arriving at the village, I found the people in 
the most turbulent and excited state, just starting upon 
another raid. One old man, of disgusting and truculent 
aspect, and with a piece of the brain of the beheaded 
man tied to his hair and hanging down upon his fore- 
head, was addressing a wild mob. I am failing with 
fever, and have a splitting headache. The drums are 
beating and the people incessantly yelling. The little 
Sultan took up his abode in my tent, and wanted every- 
thing. Fortunately, he was sufficiently amused to let 
me go on with my writing. While I am writing these 
words he has got hold of my breechloader in one hand, 
and is making a raid upon the arrowroot box with the 
other. To my great terror, my gold spectacles are next 
on his nose, and he is asking to go for a walk in them, 
and to be allowed to carry the gun. I can't very well 
refuse, so I follow him and see him, so caparisoned, join 



284 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883, 

in the war-dance of his warriors. The war-dance was 
most ferocious. The warriors, all armed to the teeth, 
make a sham attack, then they retire, and the women 
rush in and encourage them, yelling with their shrill 
voices like demons. The drums beat with incessant fury, 
while guns are discharged and bullets whiz past in the 
most promiscuous manner. It was no small satisfaction 
to me when, at last, the warriors retired to the proper 
field of battle, and left the village in comparative peace. 

" 14//Z. — Dysentery and extreme exhaustion. I hired 
men who carried me. Met Edmonds, who was on the 
march to Msalala. He returned with me, sending the 
caravan and cloth in charge of Bunduki to Ashe. 

" 15th. — Had been told that a midnight attack upon 
the village might be expected — rather, I think, with 
the view of finding out whether I could be relied 
upon to help in such an emergency. Towards the 
small hours I was awaked by a shot, and heard the 
whiz of a bullet; then some twenty shots or more. 
'Am I to fight,' said I to myself, 'or not?' 'Am I to 
see this village burnt to the ground, my men killed, 

myself ? ' Then I heard a laugh. * It is not war,' 

thought I; 'I will answer. that question another time.' 
So I turned over and went to sleep. The next morning 
we heard that it was a lion which had sprung over the 
stockade into the cattle-pen. Lions are dangerous some- 
times. At Uyui there was no door to the room in which I 
slept, and the very day after I left it I was told that a lion 
had seized and killed a woman in broad daylight, close by. 

" ip/i. — Tooth extracted by one of the French priests 
whom we met just past Shimami's. To my despair, he 
produced a very rough hawk's-bill instrument, had one 
or two tries to adjust it, and finally broke the tooth off ; 
however, he relieved the pain. 



Mt. 35. 



Method of Crossing Water. 



285 



" iSt/i, Sunday. — We invited the priests to meals. Had 
our morning Service. Both touched with fever. I was 
very ill during the night, but got some valuable hints 
from the priests. 

" igt/i. — The French priests took leave of us, and one 
of them presented me with a very curious pair of 




CROSSING A LAKE. 

U-Ganda shoes, which I gladly accepted to add to my 
collection. 

"As we marched we fell in with many rivers and 
morasses, and the rains became so heavy that I doubted 
whether we could go much further. There was an im- 
mense deal of water on the road, sometimes ankle, some- 
times knee-deep, and sometimes I have been carried for 
the best part of an hour with the water up to the men's 




chins. In cases of this kind I used to cling round the 
pole of my hammock, and six men woufd carry me on 
their heads, as if I were a log of wood. I have often 
thought of poor Dr. Livingstone's trials, and realized 
what he went through, for my own experience very 
closely resembled his. If the picture on the cover of 



286 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

' His Last Journals' is correct, my mode of being car- 
ried across deep streams is, I think, better than his. If 
you glance at the illustration you will see that I knelt 
on the shoulders of a tall, powerful man, and held the 
uplifted hands of another in front, while a third behind 
grasped my feet and kept us steady. In very swift 
streams, sometimes six or eight men were required to 
keep the three bearers, with their burden, from being 
swept away.* 

"These floods kept me in constant suspense lest, in 
my weak state, I should be plunged into the water; but 
far worse are the morasses. For a mile together I have 




been borne through the most horrible black mud, often 
above the knee. This was exceedingly fatiguing for the 
men and trying to me, the more so as I knew that I was 
inhaling malarious poison of the worst description. 

" 23rd. — My men again ran away, and I had to walk, 
or rather crawl, for fifteen miles, which tired greatly my 
poor little strength. We crossed a picturesque bridge 
over a very wide river, and reached our friends at 
Urambo at about 12 o'clock, and received a very kind 
welcome." (This is a station of the L. M. S.) 

"Shaw kindly received me, and Willoughby enter- 
tained Edmonds, who had joined me a few days before. 

* The above and succeeding sketches are all reduced fac-similes 
from the Bishop's note-book. 



JEt. 35.] King Mirambo. 287 

Willoughby was not in when I arrived. He has since told 
me that Shaw came outside the house to tell him that 
he would find me very altered — dying, in fact — but he 
must not appear to notice the change, lest it should 
alarm me. He asked my black men about me. They 
replied, - Master must die ; he is sure to die ; but how 
is it master is always so happy ? Black man would lie 
down by the side of the road and die like a sheep.'* 

" Penry, one of the L. M. S. men, who had also been 
ill and was returning home, wished to join me. This 
delayed me a few days, during which time I had an in- 
terview with the celebrated King Mirambo. Mirambo's 
history is too long for me to attempt to give it here. 
He was first called Mtelya, but in consequence of his 
many victories he assumed the name of Mirambo, which 
seems to mean, ' Killing many men.' He is further sur- 
named Nzige, or Locust, because they say he eats up 
all before him ; and lately he has added the name of 
Malomo-Maliu, or Five Lamps, being the number of im- 
portant places around, in all of which, as he says, 'he is 
able to discern between friends and foes.' 

" Before Mirambo came to the throne he used to get 
drunk on pombe just as others ; when, however, he was 
made king, he at once became a total abstainer, for he 
said, ' I could not do all my business and govern my 
people well if I drank pombe.' He was formerly a most 
bloodthirsty tyrant, inspiring terror for miles round ; 
but now, though not yet a Christian, he has been strong- 

* On two occasions the bearers laid what they believed to be his 
lifeless body on the ground, and left it, saying that it was useless 
to concern themselves further about a corpse. Each time con- 
sciousness returned, and he crawled painfully after the caravan till 
he was discovered. But through all, his patience and cheerfulness 
never forsook him. 



288 James Hannmgton. [A.D. 1883. 

ly influenced by Christianity, and is very favorable to 
Missionaries. 

" Justice in Urambo is swift and sudden. A short 
time before our arrival the king had ordered a levy of 
men to be made in the surrounding villages. Three 
men in a distant village made excuse, saying they were 
ill. The next day Mirambo, without any warning, ar- 
rived in that village, and found them busily engaged 
with their own work. He immediately ordered their 
heads to be struck off. The resident Missionary said to 
him, ' Mirambo, our Queen is a great Sovereign ; she 
never does things of this sort'; and then he proceeded 
to explain to him the judge and jury system. 

" ' Yes,' replied Mirambo, ' that is very good for your 
Queen ; she is, no doubt, surrounded by clever gentle- 
men ; but it would not do for me. My people are so 
foolish, I can only govern them in this way.' 

" When Captain Hore of the L. M. S. passed through, 
Mirambo gave special instructions that no one should 
raise a finger against his white friend. The night before 
he left the capital, one of Mirambo's pages was caught 
stealing, and, as a slight punishment, was tied to a post. 
It happened that Mirambo, visiting the white man's 
camp in the early morning, before the rest were awake, 
spied his own page in durance vile. He hastily retired, 
and by and by sent down privately to inquire how this 
came about. He heard, and held his peace until Cap- 
tain Hore had departed ; he then sent for his page, who 
had returned to the palace. 

" ' Where were you last night ? ' ' Thy servant went 
no whither,' was the unblushing lie. ' Then I will tell 
you where you went '; and so he recounted all. ' Now,' 
said he, ' I will teach my people not to disobey orders, 
and molest my white friends.' So he took a bow and 



JEt. 35.] Examined by a Medicine-man. 289 

arrow and shot him through the heart, and then, as he 
did not die instantly, took his bow and bowstrung him. 
The act was cruel and severe, but the circumstances of 
the case must be remembered. It is a noted fact that 
he is not accustomed to put anybody to death with his 
own hand, but always employs an executioner. In this 
case he made a special exception, in order to let his 
people know that he had had nothing to do with the 
theft, and that he meant to stand by the white man and 
protect him from molestation. 

" One of his medicine-men came to examine me. This 
man was of vastly superior morality to the majority of 
his fellows. His method was to use a pair of lazy-tongs, 
with a little figure at the end, over which he appeared 
to breathe a prayer. When the doll had peered into my 
chest, by an almost imperceptible turn of the wrist it 
returned to its master to deliver its message. This was 
thrice repeated, and then I was told that I had a cold, 
which, considering that I had been coughing and sneez- 
ing ever since I had been in the hut, was easy to guess 
and impossible to deny. I questioned him about his 
medicine, and asked if he thought that putting a little 
bottle in the earth, and saying a few words over it, could 
make rain. He replied : ' Certainly not ! only God 
could make rain ; but how can we expect Him to do so 
unless we pray and make right offerings ? ' He always 
went into the forest to pray, so we asked him if God 
was only in the forest ? ' No ; but the forest is retired 
and quiet. There is only one God.' Here, of course, 
was a great opening for Gospel teaching, which he was 
quite ready to listen to. 

" Now, lest any should think that this man was suffi- 
ciently enlightened, and stood in no need of our teach- 
ing, hear the following tale. His son was dying, and he 
13 



290 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

sent a message to Mirambo to accuse a man of bewitch- 
ing him. The answer was : ' You know the punishment 
for witchcraft ; apply it.' The accused, however, was a 
desperate character, and nobody dared to carry out the 
sentence, so word was sent to the king, who asked which 
of his warriors would undertake the business. All 
shrank back but one man, whom I knew well, and who 
expressed himself as willing to do it. The supposed 
wizard was asked to meet him at supper. This he re- 
fused, so he went to the man's house, and stood near his 
door till he could shoot at him and wound him. The 
men round then rushed in, and speared him to death ! 

"February 27th. — As Penry is unable to get men, we 
have asked Edmonds to go round to Unyanyembe alone, 
and let us cut across to Uyui direct. 

"March $th. — Packed up and started with Penry for 
Uyui at 10 a.m. 

" March 7th. — I had a sharp attack of fever, and ought 
to have stopped ; but onward was the word, and this I 
heartily endorsed, as, when in fever, I was generally 
better on the road ; so, sometimes walking, sometimes 
carried, I went forward till about three o'clock, when I 
became worse, fainted, and seemed to be dying. How- 
ever, by the mercy of God, I rallied, and the next day 
we resumed our journey. 

"March gth. — Off before daybreak, and was carried un- 
til one o'clock, when I was taken desperately ill in the des- 
ert, and had another fainting fit. We were near no camp- 
ing-ground or any shelter. At four o'clock I endeavored 
to stand, but was unable, so I had the tent pitched close 
to where I lay. Then I begged them to carry me to it, 
about ten yards off. The trouble would not have been 
great, but my headman refused, and two of them led me 
by the arms. The consequence was I again fainted. 



JEt. 35.] At Death's Door. 291 

" March lot/i. — At one a.m. woke, very ill. Suffocating 
action of the heart. Took stimulant, but for an hour I 
appeared to be sinking. Scarcely able to whisper, I sent 
for Penry, and took leave of him. But when day dawned 
I revived slightly, and, although I could not stand, and 
scarcely move hand or foot, I allowed myself to be lifted 
into the hammock and be carried on. The air refreshed 
me, but when we reached Uyui, at about nine o'clock, I 
was again apparently in a dying condition. Blackburn, 
who had come to meet me, seeing how I was, ran to the 
house, prepared a bed, and revived me with strong 
stimulants. Humanly speaking, I owe my life to his 
assiduous attention. I was then moved into the school- 
room where I had lain so long on the way up, and felt 
as happy as possible, though utterly prostrate. All 
agreed that my only chance of recovery was that the 
fever should not recur. Before sunset, however, it set 
in heavily with delirium. 

"March nth, Sunday. — As soon as the fever passed my 
temperature sank very low, and the cold sweat of death 
seemed to stand on my brow. I asked them to have 
the Service in my room, and none of us thought that I 
should see another Sunday. In the afternoon the fever 
returned, and my dear boy, Backit, stayed by my side 
for twenty-four hours, while I was delirious, without 
leaving to eat a mouthful. I remained in this critical 
state for five days ; Blackburn very kind, and watching 
by my bedside. At times I could not help smiling at 
his intense desire to save my life — it seemed such a 
hopeless struggle. 

"March 15th. — Called two of my boys, got up, and, 
leaning on their arms, went out of doors, and, to the ut- 
ter amazement of even-body, walked about a hundred 
yards. On the 17th I was weighed — 8 stone 6 pounds. 



292 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

That is to say, I had lost four stone since leaving Eng- 
land. 

"On the 17th we made preparation for departure. I 
feel that I must proceed for life or death. Either will 
be welcome, though I confess to a longing to live. 
Blackburn insists that he will come with us as far as 
Mpwapwa. From this time," he adds, " I began slowly 
to mend." 

Writing for the children at home, Hannington de- 
scribed his experiences of life in a hammock in a serio- 
comic vein. He says : 

" It sounds very luxurious to be transported from 
place to place in a hammock. Well, all I can say is, let 
those who think they would like it try it. I am sure I 
could write a book on the subject ; I have had such an 
experience of the excitements, monotonies, and discom- 
forts of the hammock. I will give you just one illustra- 
tion. Sometimes the man in front falls down, and I fall 




forward. On one such occasion the bearer was, by some 
miraculous means, pinned to the ground by the hammock- 
pole ; nor could he move until a companion released 
him. Sometimes the man behind would trip up ; in 
which case I fell on the back of my head. At another 
time he would glide on to his knees, and let me down in 
several inches of black mud. Yet, again, both bearers 



<Et. 35.] 



Adventures in a Hammock. 



293 



would trip simultaneously, and a complete downfall 
would take place. 




" Then boughs would whip one in the face ; or the 
men would bang one against sharp-pointed stumps of 




trees ; or stepping unequally, jump one up and down 
like a pea on a drum. One good man who carried me 
had a kind of spring-halt 
which was particularly un- 
pleasant, especially after a 
meal. As for being lifted 
over and under fallen trees ; 
being handed down deep ra- 
vines and up the other side, 
with one's feet far above one's 
head ; why, that happened so 
often that I grew accustomed 
to have my heels high in the 
air." 

After a time Hannington discharged his Wanguana 
carriers, and hired Wanyamwezi. He says, "The Wan- 




294 



James Hannington. 



fA.D. 1883. 




jr 



guana are bad travellers in regard to weight, though 

good in respect of not caring about the shape of the 
load. The} have learnt, too, the white man's ways. 
They know that he must have 
clean camping-ground and good 
water. They are very handy 
f/ about the camp and tent. Wan- 
yamwezi, on the other hand, are 
very stupid about camp, but 
they are splendid load carriers, 
and, as travellers, are up to any- 
thing, so long as you do not ask 
them to venture out at night." 
x— On March 27th, a dispute arose 

^jr with the YTanyamwezi porters 

which might have turned out 
very awkwardly. One of them was slightly punished 
for having insulted Mr. Blackburn, whereupon his com- 
panions threatened to desert in a body unless he were 
compensated by a present of cloth. This would have 
left the white men helpless in the midst of a pori (desert). 
Matters looked serious, as the men would not give way, 
and their masters could not overlook the breach of dis- 
cipline. They met together in Hannington's tent, and 
laid the matter before the Lord. Prayer was scarcely 
finished, when they heard the headman of the "Wanyam- 
wezi making a speech, followed by a sign of assent from 
the multitude, and a messenger was sent to them to say 
that the YTanyamwezi acknowledged themselves to be in 
the wrong, and that the white men were right. So they 
praised God, and continued on their way. 

On April the 19th, after the usual trials with porters, 
and discomforts attendant upon travelling in the rainy 
season, they reached Kisokwe, where a hearty welcome 



^t. 35.] The Baby at the Coles' House. 



295 



awaited them from Mr. and Mrs. Cole. Hannington 
writes : " When we approached Kisokwe (near Mpwapwa), 
I saw that, even since my last visit, the population had 
considerably increased, and that fresh tembes had been 
built. Indeed, it is not necessary that a white man 
should fix himself in an unhealthy situation merely be- 
cause it has a large population. Let him choose a 
healthy and convenient site, and the people will soon 
swarm around him. This, of course, does not apply to 
towns like Rubaga, and those on the west coast, but to 
intermediate stations and districts. On the way I was 




(^vbafr* jf, ;Jeo«gTR^Cu**wu8db t 



OfaXlCfnittlsK. Qtto&AyuiiZt 



greatly upset to hear of Mrs. Last's death. This is, in- 
deed, sad for poor Last. They were so happy and com- 
fortable at Memboia, and seemed likely to do a great 
work.* On arriving at the Coles's house I was greatly 
affected at the sight of the baby. The thought of my 
own sweet children filled my heart, and the slight hope 
I have had, and still have of ever seeing them again all 
came before me so vividly that I must confess to crying 
like a child. I rushed at the baby, and begged to be 
allowed to hold and kiss it. Ah ! what changes are 
wrought in one out here in the wilderness. I am not 
one bit ashamed to own this, though, but a short time 



* Not long after this, Mrs. Cole also died. 



296 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

ago, I should have looked upon it as the most intense 
weakness." 

" Penry seems very sleepy and strange to-day. We all 
think that he has taken too large a dose of opium to 
ward off the dysentery from which he is suffering. He 
has slept nearly all the day and eats nothing." Mr. 
Penry had been for some time in a very weak state, but 
had given his friends no serious alarm. He, however, 
had not Hannington's recuperative powers, and at Kis- 
okwe quite suddenly sank and died. The following 
entry describes the end : 

"At about one p.m. we were summoned to his bedside, 
and he seemed to be dying. I treated him as I had had 
myself treated over and over again, and toward day- 
break he seemed better. However, he grew weaker 
during the day, and on the day following he quietly fell 
asleep in Jesus. We made the coffin, and with our own 
hands lifted him gently into it, and buried him that 
same night by the grave of Dr. Mullens, atMpwapwa." 

The above extract from the diary must be sufficient, 
as we cannot here repeat all that he writes of the ter- 
rible and repulsive details of a death by dysenter}^. 
" Monsr.* and I performed the last offices, and very ter- 
rible they were. Monsr., w T ho had worked many years 
in a hospital, was at the time even more upset than I 
was." 

This death was a great shock to Hannington ; he 
says : " Shall I, who have been always looked upon as 
the worse of the two — and especially by Penry himself 
— be the next prey that death will seize ? " 

Sunday, the 2 2d, was spent quietly at Kisokwe with 



* One of the Jesuit band who accompanied the caravan to the 
coast. 



Mt. 35-] 



Missionary Work at Kisokwe. 



297 



the Coles. " These kind people having insisted that . 
should stay with them, I have to-day had an opportuni- 
ty of witnessing their Sunday work, though, with them, 
every day is a Sunday, and spent in Missionary endeav- 
or. To-day there was a Service at about 11 for natives. 
The church was well filled by Wagogo and Wanguana, 
and the Service was accordingly divided into parts, and 
made to suit both sections. Short addresses and cate- 
chisms were given in both tongues. They joined in the 
hymns very fairly, and are fond of singing, but the 
Africans here have not good voices ; they can chant 
monotonously, but I have not heard one really good 
voice among them, even among the boys in Zanzibar 
Cathedral. At 3 p.m. there was another Service in the 
vernacular, and an even better attendance. I tell Cole 
that he will soon have to build a new church." (Mrs. 
Cole's remarkable Sunday-school Class has already been 
described on page 225.) "The Mpwapwa work is very 
similar to this, and is being energetically carried on by 
Mr. Price. He and Blackburn walked over to Kisokwe, 
and I administered the Holy Communion to the little 
gathering, and a very solemn and devoted time we had 
together." 

" 23rd. — As some of Penry's things have to be disposed 
of here, in accordance with his instructions, I have an- 
other day in this pleasant spot with these agreeable peo- 
ple, and my friend the baby, who is a wonder for size, 
and is healthy and strong, and very good tempered. 
The natives delight in him, and call him a Mgogo, one of 
themselves, born in their country, and so quite different 
to other Wazungu (white men) who were born in Ulia 
(Europe). The day passed only too quickly, and, in 
spite of a good deal of pain — for I have been poisoned 
by the terrible stench in attending upon the dying man, 



IS' 



298 Tames Hannington. ' [A.D. 1883. 

and have a slight attack of dysentery — I enjoyed myself 
greatly, spending a portion of the day in pursuit of my 
favorite study of botany. I ascended one of the sur- 
rounding hills for a short distance. The panorama is 
magnificent. The distant hills of U-Sagara are visible, 
range after range rising in the far distance, and gradual- 
ly fading in coloring until they are quite blended with 
the clouds." 

The next morning they were off again, and, after a 
night at Mpwapwa, took the path for the coast. Han- 
nington says : " I find an immense advantage in having 
verything placed in exactly the same spot every time 
hat the tent is pitched, and insisting upon it. After a 
little trouble at first, the boys soon learn to know what 
you want, and do it without being told, so that when you 
step into your tent at the end of a march, though all is 
fresh outside, yet within it looks as though the tent had 
not been moved ; and what is more, you know where to 
■nd everything even in the dark." 

"April 2$th. — One of the up-country mails passed us, 
and say that our letters are a day or two behind them, 
so it will not be long before we get more news of dear 
home. How I delight in the thought ! 

" 26th. — Onwards, ever onwards ; pori and plain to 
pass. Beautiful weather and good - tempered men, 
though always inclined to be troublesome. Camped 
5,000 feet above sea level. Air so cold that I quite 
shivered. 

" 27th. — Mamboia. Keen disappointment. Last gone 
away for six days. Our messengers had loitered, and 
did not arrive till too late. So no welcome and no rest." 

On the 29th, Mr. Last, who had heard of the visit, 
caught up Hannington's party, and accompanied him 



JEt. 35-] 



Travelling in Mud and Water. 



299 



on his journey for a day or two. In the keen and brac- 
ing air of the mountains near Kwa Chiropa, Hannington 
recovered his strength rapidly, and he ascended to some 
height with Mr. Last, making botanical collections. 
" On our way down we saw an abandoned village, the 
inhabitants of which had all died of small-pox. The 
havoc which this disease makes is terrible. It is com- 
puted that during the epidemic in Zanzibar, which 
lasted about four months, 30,000 deaths occurred. 
When we returned, we found that one of Mr. Last's 
men had run away, taking with him his gun, sextant, 
and prismatic compass ! " 

" 281/1. — Took leave of Last. For an hour or so wc 
waded through the most horrible black mud, knee-deep, 
and smelling beyond description, densely overhung with 
grass and reeds to the height of 10 to 20 feet. So, more 
or less, all day till we reached camp. 

" Soon after arriving, a message came from Dr. Baxter 
that he had heard that Penry and I were very ill, and 
that he was returning to meet us. Happily I now re- 
quire no doctoring, and Penry has gone, but I cannot 
imagine a nobler act than that a man should return 
from the coast at this season of the year, with heavy 
rain still threatening. The moment we stepped out of 
the village on May 3d we were in black mud and water 
knee-deep, and this continued till we reached a branch 
of the River Wami. The same fearful swamp till the 
next river, and so on. One river was crossed by a loose 
bridge of creepers and poles partly knee-deep in water. 
Here we had more difficulty than anywhere. It was not 
until I drove away the men and made them swim for it 
that we were able to get at all into order. I then posted 
men all across the bridge, and had the loads handed 
from one to the other; and thus, as a load, was I handed 



300 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 



across myself. Two hours were occupied in getting 
over about 80 loads. Then deep mud for the rest of 
the journey ; and then Kidudwa and the cheering sight 
of the good doctor. It was in one way a great satisfac- 
tion to me to hear the doctor say, after he had gone into 
my case, that I had done right to return, and that I 
could not have done anything else. For the last day or 
two I have recovered so fast that I have had serious 
questionings with myself whether I should not now re- 
turn to the lake. This Dr. Baxter entirely forbids. He 
says that I should be mad were I to think of returning." 

The next day, in crossing a river, they got separated 
from their men and then from each other, and finally 
did not reunite their forces until after a long and tedious 
time. " Did not get into camp until night. No cooked 
food all day. I was utterly done up, and, I am sorry to 
say, very tart w T ith everybody. Blackburn, however, 
quite won my heart; for, seeing how matters stood, and 
how knocked up I was, he did all he could to make me 
comfortable, without appearing to notice how irritable 
I was. We are travelling too fast for a sick man, but 
it is entirely my own doing, as I am very anxious to 
catch the Sultan's steamer." 

" May 6th. — Our last Sunday on the main land; perhaps 
in Africa. This day week I hope to be at sea ! As this 
was the first place at which we have stopped where the 
coast language is spoken or understood, Dr. Baxter held 
a Kiswahili Service in the open air. Quite a crowd of peo- 
ple gathered round, and listened to what he had to say, 

"May %th. — Arrived at Saadani at about 10 a.m. 

" May gt/i. — Called at 2 a.m. to the boat. As usual, 
everything in confusion and excitement. The Wanyam- 
wezi who were travelling with us had taken possession 



^t. 35-1 



Homeward Bound. 



301 



of the second boat, and our men were stuffing themselves 
into our boat, and were quarrelling and shouting for 
places in a dreadful manner. We were able, after a time, 
to hire another boat. Let me warn travellers against 
allowing another party of natives to attach itself to their 
caravan. I held out against it from the very first. How- 
ever, all's well that ends well. We started at about 4 
a.m., and had a speedy run across to Zanzibar, arriving 
at about 10 o'clock. A good bit of trouble at the Cus- 
tom-house, chiefly through those horrid Wanyamwezi, 
who tried to smuggle their own goods through, on pre- 
tence that they were ours. Went to the French Hotel. 
Heard that the steamer starts on Saturday, at about 12 
noon. This is good news, as far as getting away from 
Zanzibar is concerned, but it gives us very little time. 

" nth. — Yesterday and to-day I have been hard at 
work getting my things packed, and making the neces- 
sary arrangements for the start. I have been exceeding- 
ly well. Called at the Universities' Mission, and some 
of them called upon me; but I have very little to enter in 
my diary, as the details of packing are not interesting. 

" 12th. — I concluded all my own arrangements, and 
was ready at 12.45 ; but where was ? He had over- 
slept himself, and then forgotten the time, and was not 
ready. I had the greatest difficulty in getting him off, 
and in the end the steamer started without him, when 
an umbrella was seen waving in the distance, and they 
stopped and took him in ; however, he had to leave the 
greater part of his luggage behind. All I say about it 
is to ask, How men can systematically do such things, 
and get through the world at all ? One result was, that 
the cabins which had been chosen for us had been given 
to other people, and we were obliged to share one be- 
tween us." 



302 Ja7nes Hannington. [A.D. 1883. 

So the long and perilous journey was at length com- 
pleted. The sick man whose life had been so often de- 
spaired of stood upon the deck of the homeward-bound 
steamer, and felt that every revolution of the screw was 
bearing him nearer to those friendly faces and voices 
which he had thought never again to see or hear. 

Alread)^ the project was forming within his heart to 
revisit the dark land from which he had been compelled 
to flee. He would not be content now until he had re- 
trieved his defeat, and planted the banner of Christ in 
the centre of the Great Continent. He had seen that 
the most savage and degraded people were amenable 
to Christian influence, and he meant, at no distant time, 
God helping him, to make another attempt to carry the 
Gospel to them. He wrote, after his arrival in England: 
" I am thankful for experience gained, and that I have 
lived to plead a cause which is nearer than ever to my 
heart; for I have seen the need of the Africans, and have 
realized the sufferings of their spiritual teachers. As 
for the former, though they are ofttimes 'hateful and 
hating,' yet there is much in them both to admire and 
to love. Even men who, like Romwa, or 'the old man 
of the sea,' lied, cheated, and extorted to the utmost of 
their power, touched a tender spot in our hearts. With 
all their depravity and darkness, I fully indorse Living- 
stone's words, that there are excellent traits in their 
character ; that they compare favorably with the early 
history of now civilized nations, and are capable of a high 
degree of culture." 

He adds : " Forgive the one that turned back." But 
though that " turning back " was only a retreat before 
overwhelming necessity, he could never forgive himself 
until his foot was once more planted upon African soil. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY. 
(1883-4.) 

"O bona Patria, lumina sobria te speculantur : 
Ad tua nomina, sobria lumina collacrymantur : 
Est tua mentio pectoris unctio, cura doloris, 
Concipientibus cethera mentibus ignis amoris." 

Bernard de Morlaix. 

" For thee, O dear, dear Country ! 
Mine eyes their vigils keep ; 
For very love beholding 

Thy happy name, they weep : 
The mention of thy glory 

Is unction to the breast, 
And medicine in sickness, 
And love and life and rest." 

Trans, by Dr. Neale. 

On June 10, 1883, Hannington was again among his 
friends in England. They had anxiously followed his 
course homeward during his terrible journey from the 
Lake, and the infrequent letters which he had written 
when he was able to hold the pen had all been treasured 
up. He was received as^one alive from the dead. Both 
in the Committee Room of the C. M. S., in Salisbury 
Square, and from his people at Hurst, he met with the 
warmest welcome. What passed between the husband 
and wife thus given back to each other may be better 
surmised than described. Once more the " little dear 
face " of his own baby was taken between his hands and 
kissed ; and the other little ones whom, three months 

(303) 



304 James Hannington. [A.D. 1883 

before, he thought he "would never see again," were 
gathered up into his arms. He settled down to his work 
at Hurst as though he had never left it, and his young 
men once again rallied round him. 

But with returning health the desire to assail once 
more the fortress from which he had been driven back 
came strongly upon him. He never for a moment lost 
the idea that he was to renew his labors in Africa. He 
was saturated through and through with the Missionary 
spirit, and he counted the days when he should have 
sufficiently recovered his wasted strength to again face 
the Medical Board, and retrieve his first repulse. In the 
meantime, since he could not persuade anybody that he 
was well enough for work in the tropics, he placed him- 
self at the disposal of the C. M. S. Committee for depu- 
tation work at home. During the next twelve months 
he both preached and spoke upon platforms many times 
in behalf of the Society. His graphic descriptions of 
the life and labors of an African Missionary, and his 
earnest appeals in behalf of the Mission cause, will be 
long remembered in many an English town and village. 
The "C. M. S. Report" for 1884 thus alludes to him : 
" The health mercifully given back to him by the Great 
Healer has been employed without stint in service at 
home, as the Society's friends all over the country well 
know ; and the Committee trust that the desire of their 
dear brother's heart may be granted to him, and that he 
may be enabled to go forth again into the field." So 
runs the Report ; and well did the Secretaries know the 
"desire of his heart," for there was no available occasion 
when he did not present himself at the " House," to see 
whether the doctors might not be prevailed upon to take 
a more favorable view of his state. On Oct. 8, 1883, 
he writes to his wife : 



JEt. 36.] A Characteristic Letter. 305 

" I saw the Board to-day, and the verdict was ' Africa 
NEVER.' And so I say, The will of the Lord be done. 
Any question about other climates and countries must 
be left for the present. I am very melancholy about 
Africa. But I ought not to be." 

His state of mind may be somewhat realized from the 
following intensely characteristic letter, dated Dec. 5th : 

" My Dear, — 

"Hallelujah, Amen. 

Hallelujah, Amen. 

Hallelujah, Amen. 
Hallelujah ! ! ! 

HALLELUJAH ! 
And again I cry, Hallelujah ! 

" And now quietly to begin my tale. 

"What a wonderful thing ! I was feeling so fagged 
on Monday that I thought I would not go up to town 
until Tuesday, and almost made up my mind not to 
start, but was overruled. On arriving at the Square, I 
found that there was a Medical Board sitting, and asked 
how many were to be seen. I was told, Only one. So 

I said to B , more than half in fun, I wish you would 

ask them to see me. I scarcely thought he would say 
anything about it, but lo ! he went and put my name 
down to be interviewed. I was quite frightened when 
he told me, as I thought they would be in an awful 
rage, as I had been told not to come up before April. 

" I went in, and, after a long interview, the verdict was, 
May go anywhere except Africa and Ceylon,' 

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah ! ! ! 

" But this was not all (drowning men catch at a straw). 
At first I was not encouraged by it ; but I presently 
learnt that Mr. Wigram had slipped into the Committee, 



^06 James Hannington. [A.D. 1884. 

and told the news to Mr. Stock. I took that to be a 
good sign. But when, the next morning, Mr. Wigram 
shook hands with me and said, ' I am so thankful to hear 
the verdict,' I was not able to speak much, but my heart 
said Hallelujah, Amen ; and I am quite certain that you 
will be able to join in the cry. Of course, nothing is 
settled. I am to see the Board again in April, so that 
really we are only one step further advanced ; but there 
are signs enough to make any Missionary heart rejoice. 
Once more judged worthy to anticipate. 

" Fly in and tell my brother to rejoice together with 
us." 

Such a letter was the safety-valve of a bursting heart. 
It reveals in a wonderful manner the intensity of the fires 
wmich were burning w r ithin him. At this time he had no 
thought of the Bishopric. It had not occurred to his 
mind that he might be sent out again in any other ca- 
pacity than that in which he had sailed eighteen months 
before. Those who knew him best can testify that at this 
time it was impossible that ambition should have had any 
part in lighting those flames by which he was inward- 
ly consumed. His friends thought that he had done 
enough ; but it w r as borne in upon his mind with ever- 
increasing insistency that a dispensation of the Gospel 
had been committed to him, and that he must return 
to the Mission-field ; his heart made request that it 
might, be to Africa ; but, if that were forbidden, then— 
somewhere else. 

" He saw a Hand they could not see 
Which beckoned him away ; 
He heard a Voice they could not hear 
• Which would not let him stay." 

When health had fully returned, and the Bishopric 



y£t. 36.] Visit to Edinburgh. 307 

was offered to him, he took it as a sign from God that 
he had a work to do for Christ in Africa. About ac- 
cepting the Bishopric he had his doubts and fears ; about 
returning to Africa, none. When I wrote to congratu- 
late him and wish him God-speed, he replied : " I feel 
that I could no more say No than did Gordon when he 
went to Khartoum." 

When Hannington visited Edinburgh in January, 1884, 
we noticed a great change in him. His old exuberance 
of spirits was gone. We were almost inclined to say to 
him, " Is all laughter gone dead out of thee ? " It was 
evident that he had passed through a heavy strain, 
which had taxed his constitution to the utmost. By 
and by flashes of the old wit somewhat reassured us ; 
but it was plain that the rough chastening of those ter- 
rible months of sickness in Africa would leave scourge 
marks not readily to be healed or forgotten. At the 
same time, that " chastisement " had not been without 
its distinct benefit. He was in every way softened and 
mellowed. While his sense of the humorous was as 
keen as ever, his consideration for the feelings of others 
was much greater than formerly. He was gentler and 
more tender, quieter, and more outwardly affectionate 
in his manner than of yore. The current of his life 
seemed to run more stilly and more deep. 

Just now and again the old "Jim "would leap into 
life and almost make me forget that we were not still 
undergraduates together. As, when we were spending 
the two hours which intervened between the morning 
and afternoon Services in the vestry, he suddenly de- 
clared that his legs were so stiff with sitting still that he 
was sure he should not be able to ascend the pulpit 
steps, and so, placing two chairs close to each other, he 
leapt backwards and forwards over them till he was 



308 James Hannington. [A.D. 1884. 

tired with the exercise and I with laughing. What a 
sight — had some "grave and reverend signor," some 
austere father of the Church, looked in at that moment ! 
Ah me, would he not have concluded that the " depu- 
tation" who had so edified him in the morning had sud- 
denly gone mad ? But we knew better. 

He remained with us rather more than a week. We 
found his society very helpful. His attitude of mind 
was deeply spiritual, and there was nothing which he 
loved more than to talk over some passage from Scrip- 
ture, often throwing the most vivid light upon its inner 
meaning. 

He was very full of his African work, and all the time 
he was with us was busy preparing those sketches of 
his adventures, many of which appeared in the Graphic 
and other illustrated papers, and a few of which have 
been reproduced in this work. Seated in a low chair in 
a corner of the study, with a box of water-colors and a 
sheet of drawing-paper, he would fight his battles over 
again, and narrate every incident with the keenest zest. 
I had the great advantage of hearing from his own lips 
most of those exploits which have been chronicled in 
these pages. He was full of hope after his last inter- 
view with the Medical Board, and was looking forward 
eagerly to the time when he should be again examined; 
for he firmly believed that he would in the end be per- 
mitted to return to the Dark Continent. 

There was one change in him which, at the time, I 
failed to understand, but the cause of which has since 
been made clear to me. In former days Hannington 
had been the most generous of men. He did not seem 
to consider money, but rather rejoiced in spending it 
upon any object which took his fancy. Now, though he 
did not specially allude to the subject, I could not 



Mt. 36.] A Bishop for Central Africa. 309 

help seeing that he was careful in his expenditure, and 
weighed the cost of everything. I should not perhaps 
have noticed this, had I not been so familiar with his 
character; but, knowing his former habits, and that his 
income was not diminished, it did occur to me once or 
twice to ask myself whether this new phase implied that 
my friend was becoming " near." It was not until after 
his death that this was explained, and I discovered that 
he had been giving a fifth of his strictly limited in- 
come to one society alone, irrespective of his other chari- 
ties. O thou noble soul; thy gifts did not stop short of 
self-sacrifice, nor didst thou offer to the Lord what cost 
thee nothing ! 

Shortly after this the Committee of the C. M. S. began 
to reconsider a scheme which had been first mooted in 
the lifetime of the Rev. Henry Wright, that the Mission 
Churches of Eastern Equatorial Africa should be placed 
under the supervision of a Bishop. The Universities' 
Mission, over which Bishops Mackenzie, Steere, and 
Smythies have been successively placed, has its own 
sphere of work, but does not extend so far into the in- 
terior as the stations of the C. M. S., which had been 
hitherto without episcopal supervision. Mr. Wright had 
corresponded with Bishop Steere as early as 1880 on the 
subject of a division of territory, and the formation of 
a new See, and had received assurances of his cordial 
sympathy and co-operation. No further steps, however, 
were taken until the scheme was revived in this year 
1884. It was now felt that the increasing number of 
stations in Central Africa demanded supervision. That 
the Mission having been placed upon a sound basis, 
what is now required was that the widely-scattered 
Churches should be bound together by the personal in- 
fluence of one who would have authority to commaad, 



310 James Hannington. [A.D. 1884. 

wisdom to organize, and character to ensure that his 
commands should be obeyed. The Committee, there- 
fore, began to seek for some man who united in himself, 
with unfeigned Missionary ardor, a somew T hat rare com- 
bination of gifts. 

The post demanded a man of dauntless personal cour- 
age, tact, spirituality of mind, and prompt, business- 
like habits — a man who coupled gentleness with a strong 
personality. Hannington had proved that he combined 
these opposite characteristics in himself to a very re- 
markable extent. The eyes of the Committee naturally 
turned to him. His health had so rapidly improved 
during the past six months that Sir Joseph Fayrer, the 
climatologist, gave it as his unqualified opinion that he 
might now return to Africa with a good prospect of 
being able to live and labor there for many ) r ears. This 
being so, the matter was laid before him, and he, after 
much searching of heart, but with deep gratitude to 
God as for the answer to his constant prayer, accepted 
the responsibility. The consent of the Archbishop had 
been already obtained, and the consecration took place 
on St. John the Baptist's Day, June 24th, in the Parish 
Church of Lambeth. 

On that day two Missionary Bishops were consecrated 
for foreign work, the other being the Hon. and Rev. 
A. J. R. Anson, who was appointed to the diocese of 
Assiniboia. 

Shortly before eleven o'clock, the two Bishops-Desig- 
nate met the Archbishop, together with the Bishops of 
London, St. Albans, Rochester, Lichfield, Dover, Ohio, 
and Saskatchewan, in the library of Lambeth Palace. 
Thence they proceeded to the Church. As the proces- 
sion entered the sacred building, the choir chanted the 
Magnus DominuSy Psalm xlviii., the concluding words of 



JEt. 36.] His Consecration as Bishop. 311 

which came to the two new Bishops as a message from 
heaven — to Hannington almost as an omen — " This God 
is our God for ever and ever ; He shall be our Guide 
unto death." 

In due course the two Bishops-Designate are kneeling 
before the Archbishop, and the Veni Creator is sung : 

" Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, 
And lighten with celestial fire." 

And when they rise it is with the injunction that they 
so care for the flock entrusted to them, that when the 
Chief Shepherd shall appear, they may receive the never- 
fading crown of glory, through Jesus Christ their Lord. 
It was under the influence of no shallow self-confi- 
dence that Hannington undertook this great responsi- 
bility. He was fully aware of the special difficulties of 
the charge committed to him. He knew that not merely 
energy and courage, but tact, wisdom, and patient en- 
durance, not only of toil, but, what is far harder to 
bear, of contradiction, would be required of him. He 
was about to shepherd no ideal flock in some pastoral 
Arcadia where he might decorate his crook with ribands, 
and pipe strains of gentle music, surrounded by happy 
shepherds and shepherdesses. He knew that in the 
fierce tropic climate of that fell land in which his work 
was to be done, not only the wild flock, but the under- 
shepherds themselves would need more than ordinary 
skill to guide them aright; and that his crook must be 
held with a hand both gentle and strong. By no one 
need the suaviter in mo do, for titer in re — the art of con- 
cealing the hand of steel in the velvet glove — be more 
diligently practiced than by an African Missionary 
Bishop.* It was with the full consciousness that his 

* " He was beloved by every Missionary. There never was a 



312 James Hannington. [A.D. 1884. 

path would not be strewn with roses that Hannington 
accepted the Bishopric; but he was ready to "endure 
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ," and was, 
moreover, strong in the confidence that the Lord would 
" deliver him from every evil work, and would preserve 
him unto His Heavenly Kingdom." 

The following anecdote was related to me by one of 
the Secretaries of the C. M. S. The day after his con- 
secration he had occasion to call at the House in Salis- 
bury Square. A well-known member of the Committee 
met him on the staircase, and greeted him with, " I must 
congratulate you, Bishop Hannington"; to whom he re- 
plied half humorously, yet not without serious meaning, 
"Commiserate me, you mean." 

The four months which he spent in England after his 
consecration were employed in organizing his new dio- 
cese, in commencing a Diocesan Fund, and in making 
additions to his working staff. His departure was some- 
what delayed by the expectation of a domestic event 
which added a fourth child to his household. But he 
was not idle during the interim. To myself he wrote, 
" I want you to look about and see if you cannot secure 
me a doctor or two." No doubt many others received 
similar communications. He searched the ranks of his 
friends for suitable men who would be willing to accom- 
pany him to the post of honor and danger at the front. 

Amongst others he corresponded with the Rev. E. A. 
Fitch, of Pern. Coll., Cambridge, whom he eventually 
decided to take with him as his Chaplain. 

In a letter to Mr. Fitch's father, the Vicar of Cromer, 
he says : 



Bishop who could be so firm, and, at the same time, so kind and 
considerate."— Letter from the Rev. £. A. Fitch. 



JEt. 36.] An Undenominational Conference. 313 

" My dear Sir, — I am afraid that you will look upon 
me as a wolf and a robber; though I hope not. 

" From the moment that you mentioned your son, I 
could not divest myself of the feeling that I must see 
him, and everything then seemed to lead that way. 
Most earnestly have I prayed that I might not act con- 
trary to the Mind of the Spirit. It is a great question, 
both for you and for him ; but I am sure you will be 
blessed, aye, greatly blessed, in making the sacrifice. I 
am giving up three children to go out, for they cannot 
go with us,* and nobody can tell how at times my heart 
bleeds. It is agony. But I can do it for Christ's sake, 
and I believe that He asks it of me. 

" If it is finally settled that your son goes out, I will 
endeavor to be a brother to him and a firm friend. Even 
yet the Lord may show that He has appointed us to run 
some different course. 

" I remain, yours sincerely, 

"James Hannington, 

" Bishop in E. Eq. Africa." 

He was in much request during his short stay at 
home, and was invited to many places. Amongst others 
I find reference in a letter to his wife to an Undenom- 
inational Conference which had been arranged by Canon 
Basil Wilberforce to meet at Southampton. He says: 

"Well, we had a curious gathering down here. On 
arrival, I found myself forming one of a select party — 
the Canon, Mr. Spurgeon, Lord Radstock, and the Earl 
of Lichfield. Every word of the conversation (after 
they had got to the end of cross-questioning me, which 

* At that time it had been planned that Mrs. Hannington and 
her baby should follow the Bishop to Africa, and reside at Mom- 
basa. . .. _ . . ... ... 

14 



314 James Hannington. [A.D. 1884. 

took about an hour) seemed worth listening to. On 
Thursday we commenced with prayer at 8, Conference 
at 11, at which Mr. Spurgeon first spoke, then the Bishop, 
then Lord Radstock. Afterwards Lord and Lady Ailsa, 
and Lord and Lady Mt. Edgecombe came to lunch, and 
spent the day. They all seemed bright Christians. 
Spurgeon and I had a good time together, and I enjoyed 
his society immensely." 

Writing to myself some short while later, he says: 

"I have a commission from the Archbishop to visit 
Jerusalem, and confirm the Churches on the way out ; 

so I start (d.v.) on Nov. 5th for the Holy Land 

My wife and the little one are going on most excellently 

well I am so overladen with work that I scarce 

know what to do. Warmest love to self and Lucy," — 
while tucked into the corner of the letter are the words, 
"Pray for us." 

In some form or other that request was seldom absent 
from his letters. He was never content unless he be- 
lieved that all his friends were praying for him. In this 
respect he reminds one frequently of General Gordon. 
Lord Tennyson surely conceived well the attitude of a 
truly great and simple mind when he put into the lips 
of his Arthur: 

" More things are wrought by prayer 
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice 

Rise like a fountain for me night and day 

For so the whole round earth is every way 
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God." 

The word prayer, often as it is alluded to in his let- 
ters, never fell from his pen as a conventional platitude. 
Prayer was to him, in the most real sense, "the rope 
which pulls the bell in heaven." Here is a letter written 



/Et. 37.] Addresses the Troops. 315 

at about this time to the Hon. Secretary of the C. M. S., 
when some important subject, upon which there were 
likely to be differences of opinion, was about to be dis- 
cussed: 

" My dear Mr. Wigram, — I must send a word to say 
how fully I realize that you will be helped and guided 
by the tenderest of Fathers, the God of all Grace, on 
Monday. I gathered that possibly a few bitter things 
might be given utterance to, though I hope not. At all 
events, 'tis a trying time and a crisis; and we who can- 
not speak much are going to pray for your guidance. 

The wisdom of the serpent would suggest that 

should be received with warmth and extra courtesy. 
" Yours in something more than affection, 

"J. H., Bp." 

Having received the aforesaid Commission from the 
Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Hannington sailed on 
November 5th, making his passage in the Nepaul. They 
had troops on board, two hundred of whom were to be 
transferred to another vessel at Gibraltar; them, on the 
first Sunday, the Bishop addressed in a vigorous ten 
minutes' exposition on "the command of the King to 
repent." This was a thing he could do well and effect- 
ively, and the men heard him with marked attention. 
To his wife he wrote by the next mail: " To realize more 
of the wonderful love of the Lord is what we want, and we 
can then endure separation and any other hardships for 

His sake I hope Meppy liked his letter. I must 

send Carry the next one, and then I suppose that Paul 
must not be left out in the cold." On the following 
Sunday the Bishop was again hard at work, first con- 
ducting Service and preaching to the soldiers, then 
hurrying to the other end of the ship and addressing 



316 James Hannington. [A.D. 1884. 

the saloon passengers ; and finally giving a Missionary 
address in the evening, in consequence of which one of 
his hearers gave him ^5 for his Diocese. There were 
some Sussex people on board, who soon told everybody 
all about him, and he was made a great deal of. 

At Port Said the Bishop and his Chaplain were trans- 
ferred to the Clio, in which they sailed to Beirut. Then 
followed five tedious days of quarantine; but^our Bishop 
was not the man to gnaw his nails and look glum upon 
such an occasion. Out came his note-books, paint-box, 
grammar, and writing-desk ; and what with his endless 
correspondence, languages, and water-colors, the time 
passed rapidly enough. He says : " It has given me the 
opportunity of writing up many of my African letters 
and a few home to odd friends. I am, as usual, full of 
various little items — reading, painting, writing, etc. — so 
that I find very little spare time." 

At Beirut and other places he confirmed many Euro- 
peans and natives, and visited Christian Missions of 
every denomination, being everywhere well received. 
From Tiberias he writes to his wife : " What is more, I 
have been able to stick to my flying colors, and shall 
finish up, God willing, in a month instead of two ; 
though I would willingly have trodden those sacred 
spots for another month." 

From Damascus he visited Bashan and the " giant 
cities," and so to Tiberias.* He continues : " Mr. Con- 
nor,! the Hauran Missionary, accompanied us, and added 

* " The Bishop would often dismount and walk to keep himself 
in trim for his African marches." — Letter from the Rev. E. A. 
Fitch. 

f The Bishop while in Palestine ordained Mr. W. F. Connor, 
together with two native agents, Messrs. Ibraham Baz and Murad 
el Haddad, all admitted to Deacon's Orders. 



JEt. 37.] At Jerusalem. 317 

greatly to the interest of the journey, as he knows many 
of the great Druse chiefs, and speaks Arabic very flu- 
ently, so that we were not only able to hear all that was 
passing, but also to see into the home life of these chiefs. 
We were entertained in a ' tent of Kedar.' I visited all 
the schools near Damascus but one which had been vis- 
ited by Mr. Allan. I was greatly pleased with what I 
saw, and encouraged by the work. I am thankful to 
have been not only the first Bishop, but also the first 
visitor to inspect this work. Very few travellers venture 
through the Hauran, on account of the danger from 
Bedawin ; but, as you know, that was not likely to pre- 
vent your husband." 

At Jerusalem he was in great request, and got through 
an immense amount of work, confirming, preaching, and 
inspecting ; notwithstanding, he found time to visit 
nearly all the traditional sites of interest. With modern 
Jerusalem he was not favorably impressed. He writes : 
" The town is vile, and the sites are chiefly fictions. 
The Mosque of Omar, however, is a magnificent build- 
ing, and the whole of a morning was soon swallowed up 
inspecting it, as I had the benefit of the architect who is 
superintending the repairs, and who accompanied me 
and pointed out all the noticeable features and the few 
discoveries which have been lately made." 

He was much amused to find how great a personage 
he had suddenly become, and what a vast difference 
there was in the estimation of some people between Mr. 
Hannington and the Bishop of Eastern Equatorial 
Africa. He writes to his wife, with a pen that reveals 
a quiet smile, " I find that people stand rather in awe ot 
your poor husband ; but I am sure that they need not, 
for I am an exceedingly meek and unpretentious indi- 
vidual." 



318 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

Had they seen him leaping through the pools at Mar- 
tinhoe in his episcopal apron and gaiters, would they 
any longer have stood in awe of him ? Perhaps not ; 
but they would have loved him none the less. 

New Year's Day, 1885, the commencement of the last 
year of his short life, was the last day of his sojourn in 
Palestine. It was spent at Jaffa, which he describes as 
" a complete sea of oranges." While there he inspected 
Miss Arnott's school, of which he jots down the follow- 
ing appreciatory note: " Much pleased, the singing being 
especially good. I wrote in the book to the effect that 
this was the best school I had inspected." 

Mr. Fitch, writing of the time which he spent with his 
Bishop in Palestine, says : " How kind and gentle he 
was to all ; how considerate for others, and anxious not 
to give an offence, even where a rebuke was necessary ; 
and so spiritually-minded, walking so closely with God. 
I shall never forget our journey together. Every morn- 
ing, often in the early dusk, we would have prayers to- 
gether, and always the Hundred-and-twenty-first Psalm, 
which I had to read. If the books had been packed 
away, the Bishop himself would say the psalm by heart. 
He was so kind and genial ; everybody loved him. 
Wherever he went there was a brightness. On board 
ship all loved him. Wherever we went in Palestine the 
people complained that their time with him was too 
short." 

On January 2d the African party embarked on board 
the Ettore, from which, in due course, after visiting 
Ci-iro and the Pyramids, and holding out the right hand 
of fellowship to all the Christian workers whom they 
were able to reach, they exchanged to the Surat at Suez. 
A less profitable exchange was again made at Aden, into 
the Baghdad, bound for Mombasa. The Bishop writes 



JEt. 37.] The Last Voyage. 319 

in his pocket-book : " My heart sank as I smelt the cock- 
roaches and bilge-water." A polite and obliging cap- 
tain, however, made up for many discomforts, and the 
weather being propitious, the voyage was concluded 
pleasantly enough. 

" The Chaplain most indignant with me for betraying 
that he had not crossed the line, not knowing that there 
is not a sufficient staff on board to enact the part of 
Neptune and his crew. Mr. Gordon, the ship's purser, 
and the Chaplain, are getting wrought up to a tremen- 
dous pitch about Neptune ; alas ! that he cannot come 
on board ! " There is little doubt that these fears would 
not be calmed by that old and accomplished hand at 
teasing. 

Next, the father's voice is heard in the little pocket ■ 
book : " To-day we get into the latitude of flying-fish. 
They completely swarm ; flying out of the vessel's way 
by shoals. Two flew on board. I wish the children 
could see them ! 

" Onward we go, winds and waves helping us ; and 
to-day, Jan. 21st, we cross the line, nobody knows ex- 
actly when and no Neptune. And now we must find a 
new string to the teasing bow, or fall back upon Taylor's 
* theories.' " 

Onward he went, winds and waves helping him. No 
contrary gales this time ; all things were made easy for 
that last voyage which was to conduct him to his death. 
The vessel cut her way steadily through smiling seas, 
leaving a long track of foam behind upon the blue 
water, and scattering the glittering shoals of flying-fish 
from her prow. On board all were full of life and hope. 
The Bishop sparkled with kindly fun, and communicated 
his cheerful spirits to all the company. How could they 
foresee what nine months might bring forth ? The 



320 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

shadow of that great sorrow which has fallen upon the 
Church on his account was creeping upon them, and 
those events which were to consummate his death were 
already combining ; but of that shadow they, as yet, felt 
not the chill. 

Thursday, Jan. 22^. — " Smell of the shore came off to 
our salt-washed nostrils." 

As they entered Lamoo Creek, the first sight that met 
their eyes was a sort of symbol of the contest in which 
they, as emissaries of the Lord's Host, were about to 
engage. "On the shore we could see a battle-field, 
with numbers of bones lying about." 

On Saturday, the 24th, they steamed into the sheltered 
harbor of Mombasa. The Bishop was not expected. 
No one knew exactly when he might arrive. " No stir 
in either place. Frere Town might have been in bed. 

" Presently a small dingy pulled leisurely past, and 
learned the news. The dingy flew back to Frere Town. 
There the crew dashed out and ran up the bank, and in 
two minutes the whole place seemed alive. In a trice 
two boats came racing down upon us and carried me 
off. A thousand people came to the shore ; guns fired, 
horns blew, women shrieked, I laughed and cried. Alto- 
gether, there was a grand welcome, and the moment 
we could get a little quiet we knelt down and thanked 
God." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

FRERE TOWN. 

(l88 5 .) 

" To use force first, before people are fairly taught the truth, is 
to knock a nail into a board without wimbling a hole for it, which 
then either not enters, or turns crooked, or splits the wood it 
pierceth." — Fuller : " The Good Bishop." 

As may be seen by reference to the map, Frere Town 
is situated on the mainland, four degrees south of the 
Equator. The size of the map does not permit it to be 
made equally clear that Mombasa is an island separated 
from Frere Town by a narrow channel, about a quarter 
of a mile in width. When Sir Bartle Frere returned 
from his special Mission to Zanzibar in 1873, to en- 
deavor to put down the slave-trade, he strongly urged 
the Church Missionary Society to establish a settlement 
for liberated slaves at Mombasa. Tidings of the death 
of Livingstone, which reached home early in 1874, had 
caused the ears of Englishmen to tingle; every one was 
interested in the suppression of the horrible slave-traffic, 
and a special fund was speedily provided for the pur- 
chase of the necessary site. Ground was bought upon 
the mainland opposite to Mombasa ; houses were built, 
and the settlement was named Frere Town in honor of 
its originator. In the following year nearly 500. slaves 
rescued by British cruisers were received. Gradually, 
also, a multitude of the neighboring Wa-Nyika attached 
themselves to the settlement, and Frere Town may now 
14* (321) 



322 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

be termed the headquarters of the Church Missionary 
Society's work on the East Coast of Africa. 

Frere Town is pleasantly situated. Mr. Joseph Thom- 
son thus describes it : " The view of the station across 
the apparently land-locked creek was most inviting. On 
the left, from a dense grove of magnificent mangoes, 
could be seen a snow-white house, with iron roofing, 
well set off by the dense shade around. Further, to the 
right, lay another white house with flat roof, situated 
among more airy trees and waving palms. Several 
edifices of smaller size gave the idea of a charming 
European settlement."* 

Behind Frere Town the creek extends for some twenty 
miles inland toward Kisulutini, or Rabai, as it is more 
commonly called, and as we will henceforth term it, 
where there is also a C. M. S. station. 

The church in Frere Town was at that time in charge 
of the Rev. J. W. Handford. The Rev. W. E. Taylor 
was located at Rabai. The whole of the new Bishop's 
working staff in Central Africa consisted of twelve 
clergy, priests and deacons, eleven laymen, and four 
ladies, wives of missionaries ; twenty - seven in all. 
These, as will be seen by reference to the map, where 
all the Stations of the Diocese are marked with blue 
ink, were scattered over an enormous extent of country.f 

The Bishop's first care was to make himself thorough- 
ly acquainted with all the details of the work which was 
being carried on in the 'district. He began at once 
with Frere Town ; visited the schools, and was present 
at the Services in church. With these he was more 
than pleased. The voices here were far better in quality 

* Through Masai Land, p. 39. 

t The stations of the Universities' Mission are marked U. 



JEt. 37.J His Private Letters. 323 

than those of the tribes further south, and the singing 
was delightfully hearty. The church, too, was crammed 
with a very well-behaved body of worshippers, who 
seemed to realize the purpose for which they were 
gathered together. 

It is true that all things did not equally meet with his 
approval, but the letters which follow must be read by 
one who either knew the Bishop in life, or may have 
learned to know him in the preceding pages. It is ex- 
ceedingly difficult to convey an accurate impression of 
his feelings by a mere reproduction of his letters. To a 
stranger they might even suggest an entirely different 
meaning to that which the writer intended, or which his 
correspondents understood. The golden rule to be ob- 
served in reading his private letters is to remember that 
his emphatic diction must not be taken too literally. By 
this it is not meant that he was given to exaggeration. 
That is the last crime that could be laid to his charge. 
He was perfectly well aware that his friends understood 
him. To strangers he could write staidly and formally 
enough. When he styles himself to a friend as " in 
grief, sorrow, and amazement," another person would 
probably have merely written a note of exclamation 
after his statement. When he assures his correspondent 
that he was " frightened out of his wits," he merely in- 
tends to remind him that the situation was an awkward 
one. He loved to describe himself as " boiling over 
with rage," " frantic," etc., etc., but his real anger, upon 
the rare occasions on which it was displayed, was ex- 
pressed very differently. 

There is a very characteristic letter of his in which 
his disapprobation is shown by a number of deep pen- 
strokes or sputters driven through the paper, and de- 
scribed as " marks of wrath " ! 



324 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

The following letters, then, must be read, in the first 
place, as written by Bishop Ha,7inington j and, secondly, 
it must be remembered that they were written to those 
who, as he well knew, thoroughly understood him. It 
is a very remarkable testimony to the complete concord 
which existed between himself and the Committee of 
the Society whose Missionary Bishop he was, that he 
should have allowed his letters, even when addressed to 
them as a body, to be characterized by so much freedom 
of expression. But, indeed, he was both loved and 
esteemed at Salisbury Square, where the greatest con- 
fidence was felt in his judgment, and where his schemes 
and reforms met with the heartiest encouragement. 

The following letter was addressed to Mr. Lang : 

" Greetings and good wishes very many, with fervent 

prayer for blessing on your work And now foi 

first impressions. Frere Town struck me as one of the 
most lovely spots I have seen. It is laid out with the 
care and precision of those advertisements you see hang- 
ing up at railway stations ! But — one shudders slightly 
(a kind of half-gratified shudder, as we reap the benefit) 

to see such palatial residences Then followed 

grief, sorrow, amazement, which increases, to find the 
Missionaries dwelling in houses of cedar, and the ark 

scarce resting in curtains This must strike most 

painfully on all comers The opinion of the world 

is not what we should care about, but this cannot be 
right. And I mean to stick to my opinion." 

Others than Bishop Hannington had, indeed, noticed 
this fact. Mr. Joseph Thomson, for example, writes, 
rather sarcastically : " This charming European settle- 
ment suggested the mental ejaculation that, however 
dark and dreary might be the moral and religious out- 



/Et. 37.] The Church at Frere Town. 325 

look, temporally the lines of the Missionaries had fallen 
in pleasant places." 

The Bishop felt most strongly that this ought not so 
to be. And one of his earliest cares was to remove this 
reproach, and arrange for the building of a church 
which should be worthy of the headquarters of the Mis- 
sion. Writing to Mr. Wigram, he says : 

" And now, be frightened, and talk about ' new 
brooms'; but we have quite decided to appeal for a 
new church. I won't fulminate by this mail, but we 
must have a decent church. Not a tin ark, or a cocoa- 
nut barn, but a proper stone church, a church to the 
glory of God ; and so, in spite of famine and other diffi- 
culties, let us strike for it now." * 

One of the first aims of the Bishop was to stir up in 
his diocese a keen desire for souls, which should not be 
satisfied by merely external improvement in the moral 
and social state of the natives. He knew that personal 
holiness among the workers was the only surety for 
work of this kind. Both by example, and by his stirring 
addresses, he inculcated a high standard cf Christian life. 

In no place more than in Africa are George Herbert's 
quaintly-sounding words verified : 

* It is right to state that, about ten years before, a sum of 
;£i,ooo was provided for the erection of a church at Frere Town. 
Owing, however, to the wreck of a dhow which contained a con- 
siderable portion of the materials purchased at Bombay, and to 
other causes, only sufficient reached Frere Town wherewith to 
build a school-room. The C. M. S. very properly does not hold 
itself responsible for the building of permanent churches. When 
a community of native Christians has been formed, and the preach- 
ing chapels no longer suffice for their wants, the building of a suit- 
able church is left to their own individual effort, aided by a special 
grant and such appeals to the Church at home as Bishop Hanning- 
ton proposed on this occasion to make. 



326 James Hannhigton. [A.D. 1885. 

"Who keeps no guard upon himself is slack, 
And rots to nothing at the next great thaw. 
Man is a shop of rules ; a well trussed pack, 
Whose every parcel underwrites a law. 
Lose not thyself, nor give thy humors way ; 
God gave them to thee under lock and key." 

Both men and institutions are apt to grow "slack" 
when long removed from the wholesome stimulus of 
public opinion. 

The man who is long separated from the elevating 
and stirring influence of his equals and betters needs to 
maintain a high level of spirituality lest he should sink 
to the low level of those by whom he is constantly sur- 
rounded ; with whose customs he becomes daily more 
familiarized, and of whose frailties he almost insensibly 
becomes more and more tolerant. There have been 
terrible falls in Africa. Hannington felt that if his dio- 
cese was to shine as a City of God, it must be occupied 
by a body of men who were united together by the con- 
sciousness that each one was himself united to the Lord 
of the Church. During his short episcopate he did 
much to infuse spiritual life and vigor into every man, 
and every branch of every department of the work. 

He found an excellent organization, good schools, and 
a crowded church.* Into this well-ordered community 
he came as a spiritual impetus, and as one who was well 
fitted to supply the one crying need of that time — the 
leadership of a master mind, whose authority was prop- 
erly constituted and generally acknowledged, to bind 
together the individual workers, and give them the im- 
pulse of a body united under one head. A flock of 

* At the daily Morning Service at 6.30 A.M., Hannington noticed 
on one occasion about 500 present. 



&*- 37-] The Mission Steamer. 327 

shepherds is well-nigh as helpless without a head shep- 
herd, as without them is a flock of scattered sheep. 

The Bishop set about altering such few things as 
needed reformation with consummate tact. Take the 
case of the Mission steamer as an example. He is writ- 
ing to the Secretary of the C. M. S. to ascertain exactly 
what amount of authority they will authorize him to ex- 
ercise over their lay agents : 

" I feel that I may without hesitation speak in the 
highest terms of the sea-going qualities and the pace of 
the Henry Wright. I am more than gratified and sur- 
prised. Of course, I am comparing her with other ves- 
sels and yachts of her own size. Some who have spoken 
of her discomforts only remember P. and O. boats, and 
I might thus appear to contradict them, and make Salis- 
bury Square wonder which to believe. As to the con- 
dition in which she is, I find that terrible ; and the tale 
of the West Coast will soon be repeated unless attention 
is paid to this. I at once spoke my mind, but at present 
have met with little response and plenty of excuses and 
objections. 

" I find that I don't really know what authority I have, 
and what arrangements you have made with the captain. 
You must let me know fully about this, and let him (and 
others) know whether I am to act as your representative. 
I find him a very nice and kind man, most attentive to 
all my wants, and I think that I have gained his estima- 
tion by being capable of taking a spell at the wheel, and 
turning out at about 2 a.m. to see that things were pro- 
ceeding comfortably. At the same time, there is very 
little recognition of the fact that the ship must be kept dif- 
ferently, otherwise decay, moth, rust, etc., will do their 
work. The difficulty is, that the sailors would strike 



328 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

for higher wages. I offer a solution, namely, that the 
best man be raised a little, and made a petty (very 
petty) officer. That No. 2 be discharged if he will not 
do more work, and another be engaged at a lower rate. 
That every day when the Henry Wright is in harbor, 
three or four of the school-boys be sent off to be trained 
in cleaning the ship. These boys could then, after a 
time, easily get berths as officers' servants on the steamer, 
or would come in for house boys. I do not know how 
you, or Handford, or the captain will receive this ; but 
of one thing I am certain — something must be done. If 
you can give me no autocracy,* you will not inform the 

captain of this I have gently assumed that I am 

to act for you, taking care not to place myself in a false 
position, or rather lay myself open to a refusal before I 
could meet it." 

He determined that he would not rest until he had 
put all things in order ; but as it had been at Hurstpier- 
point, so it would be in Africa, his suggestions would be 
so gently and seasonably made that the reformed would 
probably look upon themselves as the reformers. In the 
meanwhile he roused up everybody by his own indefati- 
gable energy. None could settle with any comfort upon 
their lees while the Bishop stirred about so briskly, and 
displayed such boundless powers of locomotion. To- 
day in Mombasa, to-morrow at Zanzibar, a few days 
later at Taita, again prospecting around Kilima-njaro, 
and, suddenly, while all thought him far away in the in- 
terior, reappearing in the streets of Frere Town. No 
one knew where next to expect their Bishop. He car- 

* The Bishop afterwards learned that he was regarded as the 
Head of the Mission, and that the Committee had given him full 
authority to do all that was necessary. 



/Et. 37.] His Grand Unselfishness. 329 

ried with him an atmosphere which annihilated stagna- 
tion. All were kept in expectation and movement, and 
while he thus set the example of unsparing application 
to the work of the Mission, he also in the most quietly 
practical manner demonstrated what in Africa is not al- 
ways easy to put into practice — is it easy anywhere ? — 
the duty of considering others' comfort before one's own. 

Mr. Copplestone has communicated to me one exam- 
ple of this among many such which is very characteris- 
tic of Hannington's way of life. He says : " On our 
arrival at Frere Town we had another exhibition of his 
grand unselfishness. He made us put up at his own 
house, the palace, and, out of the two bedrooms, he gave 
one to Mr. Hooper and the other to myself, while he 
himself occupied a small place close under the roof ; 
and, do what we would, we could not persuade him to 
change his purpose." That was his notion of the manner 
in which "humanity" should be shown to strangers.* 

Acts of this kind which call forth no heroic self-sacri- 
fice, but which merely entail personal discomfort on be- 
half of others, are ever the hardest to perform gracious- 
ly, and the rarest. But by such the memory of a man 
lingers longer in the hearts of his friends than if, on 
some supreme occasion, he had ventured his life for 
them. 

One of the Bishop's first acts was, of course, to pay a 
complimentary visit to the Arab Governor of Mombasa. 
The Governor, whom Mr. Thomsom mentions as not 
being on a very friendly footing with the Missionaries, 
had been superseded by another, of whom Hannington 
says that he was "a very nice man." It is amusing to 

*"Vidi necesse esse habere episcopum exhibere humanitatem 
quiscunque venientibus sive transeuntibus." — S. AUGUST. 



330 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

note in the day's brief entry in the tiny pocket-book the 
words : "Weather less warm ; in spite of Bp.'s clothes, 
felt cool." Our traveller, who would, if he could, have 
willingly imitated Fox, and donned a " perennial suit " 
of some ever-enduring substance, was evidently rather 
impatient of his episcopal apron and gaiters. He would 
not be quite comfortable until he could once more thrust 
himself into that old coat of rusty brown tweed, in which 
he had botanized on Lundy, scaled the Alps at Zermatt, 
and walked nearly a thousand miles to and from the 
great Nyanza. 

A few days after his arrival he gave a great feast to 
the inhabitants, at which 800 sat down to curry and rice. 
Afterwards, he says, " they beat the drum and danced ; 
one or two of the different tribal dances were very curi- 
ous." 

" Sunday, Feb. 1. — Handford has had a kind of throne 
made for me outside the chancel rails, and to-day I was 
enthroned. Administered the Holy Communion. About 
60 present." 

The next day he left in the Henry Wright for Zanzibar 
to visit the Sultan and Sir John Kirk. He was also anx- 
ious to have a talk with Bishop Smythies. The Consul, 
however, was away from home, and Bishop Smythies 
was on the mainland, at Magila. Hannington at once 
made up his mind to cross to Pangani and w r alk to the 
Station of the Universities' Mission. The heat on the 
road was frightful. Hannington was not yet " in train- 
ing," and he found that the twenty-five-mile walk along 
the waterless track taxed his strength to the utmost. 
Indeed, he got a touch of the- sun and fell, half-faint- 
ing, in the path. A donkey was sent to meet him from 
Mkuzi, and he remained there for the night, hospitably 



JEt. 27-] Advancing the Mission. 331 

entertained by Mr. Wallis, the clergyman in charge. 
The diary continues : 

" Too much exhausted to talk or do anything. Man- 
aged, however, to attend Evening Service. An alarm of 
an attack by Wadigo, a savage tribe, before going to 
bed. Couldn't sleep for heat, fleas, mosquitoes, and ex- 
treme exhaustion. Very poorly in morning. Attended 
Morning Service, but had great difficulty in sitting up to 
breakfast. After mid-day, however, the heat, 90 in the 
shade, fell rapidly. I revived and started on the don- 
key. After riding about eight miles, the Bishop met me 
with a hearty welcome. 

" Next day, Sunday, 6.30 a.m., the Bishop held a Con- 
firmation. Mitre and Cope. Address very good. After 
the Services of the day, in the cool of the afternoon, I 
had a long talk- with the Bishop; with all his ritualism 
he is strong on the point of conversion, and is very par- 
ticular about Baptism and Communion not being ad- 
ministered before conversion, either to heathen or 
professing Christians. Monday, 4.30, left on donkey, 
the Bishop accompanying me a long distance on the 
road." 

Three days later he called on Sir John Kirk, who 
strongly advised him to advance the Mission to Taveta 
and Chagga, and after an interview with the Sultan and 
his commander-in-chief, Gen. Matthews, he once more 
steamed northward in his own vessel, the Henry V/right. 
He says: "No one who has not experienced the horrors 
of a voyage in an African dhow can appreciate what a 
comfort this little steamer is to us." 

They did not reach Frere Town until Sunday morn- 
ing, as the engines of the boat were rather out of order. 
■ l Very surprised to find that a new aisle to the church 



332 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

had been commenced without my hearing a word about 
it. To-morrow I must speak, not to-day." 

Mr. Handford had evidently not yet accustomed him- 
self to the idea that he was no longer commander-in- 
chief at the Station. On the following day a Commit- 
tee Meeting was held of all the workers, to discuss the 
affairs of the Mission. The following brief entry in the 
pocket-book refers to it: "We discussed some disagree- 
able questions, but all passed off well, and I feel that 
matters will in future be less difficult for me." 

It was clear that the new Bishop would require all his 
tact to maintain his just authority without causing an 
uncomfortable amount of friction. But if friendship 
and general hearty good-will were to be preserved to- 
gether with discipline and obedience, this was surely the 
man to effect it. 

A day or two later he writes: "All I can do is let- 
ters, letters, letters, with just a little exercise and a 
good many interruptions. Things going smoothly, and 
much more cotnfortable for me than before. The Lord be 
praised." 

Bishop Hannington wrote a great number of import- 
ant and valuable letters from Frere Town, which throw 
light on everything of which they treat, and help to 
disentangle some knotty questions. Though his own 
supervision of the diocese was so brief, it will be found 
that he has done much to clear the way for his successor, 
and to make his position a plain and simple one. We 
may here give quotations from some of these letters, 
without placing them in their chronological order. 

It was not long before the vexed question, whether 
Missionaries should take their wives with them to un- 
healthy and perilous posts, came up for discussion. On 
this subject the Bishop's experience led him to form a 



^t. 37.] On the Marriage Question. 333 

very strong opinion. He was not aware at the time that 
the Sub-Committee on African Missions quite agreed 
with him, and took his view of the matter. The letter 
is given as eminently characteristic: 

"With regard to the Marriage Question, I have already 
spoken strongly, for I feel strongly, and am therefore 
prepared to act somewhat strongly if I am constrained 
to do so. 

" Granted that the help of ladies in every station would 
be of very great advantage, I am certain that we are not 
yet sufficiently advanced for ladies, especially young mar- 
ried women, to enter upon the work. It is little short 
of homicide to permit them to go beyond the neighbor- 
hood of the coast. However, if, in spite of your recent 
terrible experience, you feel differently, I will most 
reluctantly consent that the region of Usagara — i. e., 
Mpwapwa or Mamboia — be again tried; but nothing shall 
induce me to give my consent that ladies should attempt 
to cross the Wanyamwezi deserts in the present state of 
the country. As a hardy, even somewhat reckless, trav- 
eller, I shudder at the idea of attempting these, by and 

by, myself. With regard to lay?nen, as , I have no 

legal jurisdiction, and the matter rests with you ; but I 
refuse in any way to correspond or work with such, 
deeply as I should regret it, if he is permitted to take a 
young wife beyond Mpwapwa. 

"With regard to , I have jurisdiction ; and I re 

fuse to have him located beyond Mpwapwa, or in any 
other spot, until my sanction has been obtained. And 
what I have said about these two individual cases will 
apply to all others ; that is, until the present state of 
things is changed, and medical men can be placed at the 
various stations. Personally I have no objection to 



334 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

obtaining leave of absence, returning to England and 
marrying, then leaving his wife and proceeding to Uyui; 

nor to marrying now and doing the same, letting 

their wives remain in England until after their first con- 
finement ; then I would, if I am still alive, reluctantly 
consent to their attempting to reach so far. But to send 

young married women like up country, where there 

is no medical aid at hand, is, if you will forgive me for 
saying so, a rash folly, to which I will never consent. 

" Had we time to write backwards and forwards on 
this subject, I would not have written in this very dog- 
matic and perhaps irritating strain ; but as there is no 
time for correspondence, I think it better to let you know 
exactly how I feel, and how I am prepared to act." 

By all which it will be seen that the good Bishop knew 
how to think and act with decision, and that he had the 
courage of his opinions. He continues this subject in 
another letter as follows: 

" 's recent very severe illness in her confinement, 



and 's case, which appears to have been greatly 

aggravated by nursing, and the probable return of both, 
makes me feel that it is my duty once more to bring the 
marriage question before you. 

" In addition to these two, I feel that I cannot but re- 
vert to what I hear of the late Mrs. here in Zan- 
zibar ; namely, that without a proper nurse, without 
either of them understanding about such cases, she was 
treated from a few rules laid down in an old-fashioned 
book. She dies, and we talk about 'the mysteries of 
Providence ' ! It would surely be a greater mystery if 
in such a case she had lived. In the face of this and 

the other deaths, I was quite shocked to hear of 's 

proposed marriage. I hear also of another married 



JEt. 37.] O11 the Marriage Question. 335 

couple wishing to go to Mamboia .... and you will re- 
mind me that I . . . . consented that such should go so 
far. Now, however, after further experience, I feel that 
I have done wrong even in consenting to this. I there- 
fore wish to withdraw my acquiescence, and to send you 
my more developed views. Again I acknowledge the 
great help that Christian ladies are in all the stations ; 
also the immense comfort of their society to our isolated 
Missionaries, and that their presence would often hush 
scandalous whispers ; notwithstanding, seeing how diffi- 
cult African travel is — how inexperienced the newly- 
married are — the entire absence of nurses qualified to 
wait upon Europeans — the almost entire absence of 
medical aid — and, above all, reading in the cases we 
have had before us the unmistakable voice of God — I 
feel in conscience bound to protest against any newly- 
married ladies being sent to any of our stations be- 
yond Frere Town, Rabai, and their immediate neigh- 
borhood." 

In a succeeding letter he deals with the matter in a 
lighter strain, and says: 

"With regard to your suggestion about a lady-helper — 
that is, I quite believe, what we want here ; and the right 
person would be of the greatest assistance. 

"A dash of the obstetrix would be exceedingly useful, 
and would relieve my mind very greatly. If she has had 
no experience in such matters, could not a little be gained 
before coming out ? 

" P. S. — While I shudder at the thought of young mar- 
ried women coming out, I should gladly welcome a few 
strapping old maids, who could go about by twos even 
to U-Ganda. Send out a dozen to try." 



336 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

Another important letter deals with the question of 
the Baptism of Children of Slaves: 

" I find that the custom has been to baptize children 
up to the age of eight years, who have been received 
from slave dhows, etc. Hence they get Christian names, 
and are, of course, educated as far as is possible as Chris- 
tians, and go out into the world as such. The education 
they receive, good as it is, in too many cases does not 
seem to lead to conversion ; and so these go forth, some 
of them with very bad characters, yet bearing the name 
of Frere Town converts and Christians. This is, of 
course, the history of the Church at home, and its bane, 
but might surely be prevented here without our being 
accused of being Baptists. Bp. Smythies, I rejoice to 
find, feels very strongly as I do, and insists that in the 
churches of the interior there shall be no baptism till 
after conversion. 

"You will understand, of course, that I am not now 
speaking of the children of Christian parents. As to the 
others, the present system allows a number to go forth 
into the world as baptized, while in a most unsatisfac- 
tory state, and who would never have been admitted to 
baptism had they been kept in the school some few 
years previously. 

" The argument in favor of the baptism of these orphan 
children is that we Christians then become their foster- 
parents. Yes, — but then they come to us not as infants, 
but as children who have from their earliest years grown 
up in all possible wickedness." 

This letter is very interesting, as throwing light upon 
such complaints as those so freely made by Mr. Johnston 
and other travellers as to the worthlessness of many of 
the " Mission boys," The question propounded is a 



^t- 37-1 O n th e Ordination of Natives. 337 

knotty one, but no doubt some practical solution will in 
time be found. 

Another letter deals with the Ordination and Licens- 
ing of Catechists : 

" With regard to the Ordination of the two natives, 
William Jones and Ishmael Sember, they both express a 
wish to delay for another year, and far be it from me to 
thrust them into office. However, as far as I can dis- 
cover, their only reasons appear to be the examination. 
They dread to be examined. 

" I find these two men in particular holding services, 
preaching on week days and Sundays, and preaching at 
Frere Town when there have been as many as four white 
teachers present. William Jones has also had entire 
spiritual charge of Rabai for some months; I feel, there- 
fore, that if it is simply a matter of shirking examina- 
tion I cannot give way to it. 

" I feel strongly, too, that all these men who preach 
in the regular Church Services ought to be examined 
by me, that I may judge whether they are really fit to 
teach. 

" I am, therefore, proposing to examine all the preach- 
ers in the Old and New Testaments, and in the rudiments 
of the Gospel of Christ. If I find them satisfactory, I 
will give them a license as lay readers and helpers. 
This examination will include Jones and Ishmael. If 
they pass this satisfactorily, I shall, if we really find 
that this is the only obstacle, be ready to extend their 
license to Deacon's Orders. At all events, I will sound 
them on the subject." 

The Bishop had a high opinion of native capacity. In 
a private letter he writes : "I do not at present think 
that U-Ganda itself wants ' the flood of Europeans ' 
15 



338 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

about which our brethren talk. ' Not by might nor by 
power, but by My Spirit.' I believe (between ourselves — 
whisper it not) — I believe that with the present staff of 
natives, Frere Town and Rabai could be worked by one 
European effectively. I am sure, however, unsatisfac- 
tory as natives often are, that not enough is done to 
develop any of their powers, except those which relate 
to laying a cloth. However, you must take what I say 
cum grano — I am a fresh comer." 

The following extract is interesting, as throwing some 
light upon the special difficulties of a first Bishop in a 
Mission district. Also as displaying his own spiritual 
thoroughness, and discontent with any reform that 
stopped short of the actual conversion of souls to God: 

" I am almost afraid to discourse on Frere Town, lest 
I should seem to throw any reflection upon the work 
which is being done. We have an admirable secretary 
in the Rev. ; still, I am sure that there is an econ- 
omy which may suit the lay department, but will not 
pay in the end. I want to hear more about saving souls 
than saving pice. I want to see far more Church order. 
I should like to know that the weeds are being pulled 
out of the hearts, while those in the shambas are not 
permitted to run wild. I pray that Mr. England * may 
be just the man to reach the souls of the boys in the 
school, for I do not see so many signs of their being 
reached now as I could wish. I do not want to be ex- 
travagant, but too much time can be spent saving pence, 
even in the Mission field; so beware of over-economy. 
I have failed at present, to get anything done for the 
first-class boys to bring them on to a higher grade of 
education, and prepare them for the Ministry, and for 



* A lay schoolmaster then being sent from home. 



jEt. 37.] Letter to Mr. Eugene Stock. 339 

school teaching, or the medical profession. Surely, if a 
native Ministry is to be raised up, something of this 
kind should be done. At present, even the best teachers 
are kept at table dusting, etc., which, however good for 
their morals, is not, I think, the education to aim at. 
Economy in this direction will never pay in the end. I 
shall point out these things to Mr. England, if I see 
him when he arrives." 

The Bishop concludes his letter as follows : 

" I do hope you will not think that I am writing in 
the spirit of bitterness. These men that I have written 
about in an apparent spirit of complaint have far more 
excellencies than shortcomings. I only wish that your 
poor little bishop possessed many of their good qual- 
ities." 

The following letter to Mr. Eugene Stock is full of 
specimens of Hannington's own style when writing to 
his intimate friends. But beneath his comic descriptions 
of himself as boiling over with passion while he brand- 
ishes his " rancorous pen," one can read his intense love 
for the country of his adoption, and his devotion to his 
work:* 

" My dear Stock, — I am not certain whether you have 
thrown me overboard altogether, on account of my per- 
verse signature.f I give you credit, however, for being 
nearly driven to death during the last month or two, 
and so have had to pass me by. I wish friends would 
give me credit for being overdriven sometimes. They 

* See page 323. 

t He had adopted the signature James, Bishop of East Equatorial 
Africa (or as he usually wrote it, Bp. E. Eq. Af.), omitting the 
" Hannington," as he thought that his own individuality would be 
thereby merged and lost in his Office, and in his work. 



340 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

won't, however. But now, before I take another plunge 
into the interior, let me give you an account of the pro- 
ceedings of the last three weeks, and if you don't doctor 
it up and use it, at least get it into something for me, 
for we must keep ourselves before the public* I am 
simply boiling over with passion at the gross neglect of 
East Africa at the May Meeting. Does such a place 
exist in the mind of the Committee? If it ever had 
entered my head that no representation was to be made, 
I believe I should have slipped home the night before, 
and back again the following day, had it only been to 
have shouted, 'East Equatorial Africa needs your prayers /' 
I don't regard a stupid little notice in the Report about 
myself as anything at all. Men in England do not 
realize how desperately hard the battle has to be fought 
out here. 

" I am in a capital temper with Lang's last letters to 
Handford and myself. Things have been going on very 
nicely between us lately. May the brethren who are 
coming out impart to us many rich spiritual blessings. 
I hope dear sister Maria and her boys are progressing. 
Just as I write, the girls in the school have struck up 
the Vesper Hymn, and warmed my soul, when I think 
that here, too, we are fellow-laborers with her and other 
dear Christians. Striving together for the Faith. 

" One more thrust from my rancorous pen and I have 
done. Letters from Salisbury Square are so awfully 
official and full of business, that we are all complaining 
we find no spiritual lozenges to revive us. Would not 
some dear Christian soul in the Committee undertake 
to write us religious letters, and enclose little leaflets 

* This was accompanied by a long MS., containing an account 
of a missionary journey. 



JEt. 37.] Africa must be Won for Christ. 341 

and choice crumbs — inquire after our souls, and draw 
out the depths of our heart. Ask for a volunteer for E. 
Eq. Africa, and I am certain he will be greatly appreci- 
ated. If business expels religious intercourse in letters 
between father and son (Cust says the relationship is 
parental, as you provide us with false teeth), woe, woe ! 
death in the pot. 

" I do not know that I have much more to say on 
paper : should I not like an hour or two with you in the 
little study in Milner Square! Did I tell you that the 
Sultan, through Sir John, had offered Mbaruk 400 dollars 
a year and a shamba in Zanzibar. This he declined. I 
have other terms to suggest, and I hope that I may be 
the means of getting him out of Fulladoyo and occupy- 
ing the land.* I am rather expecting a fearful rebuke 
from Salisbury Square, and a warning not to meddle 
with other men's matters, and not to rush hither and 
thither, but to settle into a confirming machine. But 
Africa must be won for Christ. 

" Yea, I believe at this time ( shall the present be brought 
unto the Lord of a people scattered and peeled, and from a 
people terrible from their beginning hitherto* And so I go 
forward, the Lord being my helper, to endeavor to open 
up the country of the Masai. — Affect'ly yours, 

"James, Bp. E. Eq. Afr. 

" ' Watchman, what of the night ? ' " f 

Thus many matters are discussed with the Committee 
of the Church Missionary Society, and various members 
of it — some lightly, some gravely, but all with a good- 
humored insistence, which reveals at the same time the 

* See page 375. 

t He almost always wrote a motto, or watchword, at the foot of 
his letters. 



342 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 



loving nature of the man, and the hold which his work 
had taken upon his heart. Writing to a friend, he says : 

" I feel daily my own awful imperfections and short- 
comings. Why did they make me a Bishop ? Have 
they not — are they not, bitterly repenting it ? " But 
immediately his heart is lifted up, and he cries, " Has 
not our loving Father been gracious to me ! Oh, for a 
heart to praise my God ! " 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE KILIMA-NJARO EXPEDITION. — VISIT TO CHAGGA 
(1885. MARCH, APRIL.) 

" The tartarous moods of common men." 

Ben Jonson. 

" I am being taught never to be disappointed, but to Praise." 

Bishop Hannington. 

" But ever at each period 
He stopped and sang ■ Praise God ! ' 
Then back again his curls he threw, 
And cheerful turned to work anew." 

Robt. Browning. 

Bishop Hannington had not been long at Frere Town 
before he was called upon to consider the condition of 
Taita, which was then his furthest advanced post along 
that route westward. The Mission Station at Taita is 
planted upon the lofty mountain Ndara, and is separated 
from the coast by some two hundred miles * of difficult 
and dangerous desert. Mr. Wray, who had the honor of 
being the pioneer thus far into the wilderness, had gath- 
ered around him a number of learners ; but his position 
had lately become very critical, owing to a prolonged 
famine which was devastating the whole surrounding 
country, and had brought down the anger of the tribes 
upon his head, as the possible cause of it. Mr. Wray's 
little flock in Ndara suffered terribly from the general 

* Comp. Mr. Thomson's estimate of the distance which is added 
to the absolute mileage in a straight line from Mombasa by the 
windings of the desert path. — Through Masai Land, p. 188. 

(343) 



344 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

want. Great efforts were made to send up supplies of 
food from Frere Town, and many lives were thus saved : 
but, owing to the distance and the necessity of crossing 
the horrible, waterless desert of Taro, the difficulty of 
sending caravans was immense. 

Bishop Hannington determined that he would himself 
go to the front, and be guided in his future action by 
what he saw there. He therefore lost no time, but made 
up a caravan of porters, and sending them forward to 
Bandera, at the head of the creek, joined them on Feb- 
ruary 25th. From Bandera a steep ascent of an hour 
and a half brought them to the pretty Mission Station 
of Rabai. Here the people were expecting the Bishop, 
and a tumultuous welcome awaited him. The firing of 
guns, and the dancing and shouting of the excited na- 
tives, continued without intermission from six o'clock 
until ten. The Bishop says : " I joined in one of the 
dances — a kind of puss-in-the-corner-drop-handkerchief 
—to the intense delight of the natives. Henceforth we 
ire friends." 

The next morning, Thursday, the native catechist, 
Mr. Jones, whom he afterwards ordained, preached to a 
densely crowded congregation. We may quote here a 
passage from Mr. Thomson : " I arrived while service 
was being conducted by Mr. Jones, the native teacher. 
Not to disturb the meeting, I stepped in behind the 
gathering, and was greatly struck by the appearance of 
the well-filled church, the strict attention of the audi- 
ence (who were all dressed in the height of Rabai fash- 
ion), and the fluency of the preacher." The Bishop was 
also most favorably impressed by the appearance of 
everything at Rabai. He spent his time there very 
busily in completing his preparations for the march 
into the interior. The following jottings appear in his 



JEt. 37.] Welcome at Rabat. 345 

pocket-book : " Made my boys, Robert Livingstone and 
Legh Richmond, wash, giving them a lesson in the art. 
.... Grand cooking preparations. I give a feast to- 
day, at which I expect about six hundred guests 

Our boys, to my bitter disappointment, caught stealing. 
I tied up all four to separate posts, in sight of the feast, 
for the rest of the day ; but it pained me more than it 
did them. About twelve the feast began in earnest, and 
at about five o'clock the dances and drums. I joined a 
little in most of the dances, some of which are very gro- 
tesque, and it gave the people more satisfaction than 
anything else. The boys were released earlier than I 
had at first intended, my heart relenting — and the next 
morning they stole the sugar. One whom I believe to 
be at the bottom of all this mischief is to be left behind. 
He is not my own boy, but was brought at Handford's 
request. 

" Sunday, March 1st. — I preached from the text, ' What 
must I do to be saved ? ' Jones interpreting. The church 
was quite full, many sitting outside. Holy Communion 
afterwards to thirty-four. Fifty candidates are being 
prepared for Confirmation. 

"At the afternoon Service Jones preached from the 
121st Psalm. It being my travelling Psalm, I take it as 
a good omen. 

" March 2d. — Just off in excellent health and spirits. 
* I will go in the strength of the Lord.' " 

The Bishop continues : " By two o'clock all was ready, 
so we knelt all together in prayer, and then, with no 
slight emotion, forced our way through the little knots 
of friends and wives who had come to bid us and our 
porters — their relatives and husbands — good-bye. We 
mustered about a hundred, as we had to carry with us a 
IS* 



346 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

month's food for the starving Wa-Taita, in addition to 
our own goods. The heat was intense, and nearly made 
me sick ; the sun almost seemed to bake one alive." 

Mr. Handford went with the Bishop. Soon they left 
behind them " the cocoa-crowned heights, the verdant 
ridges — with their stern, sentinel-like fan-palms — and 
the cultivated outer slopes, and plunged into the Nyika, 
or wilderness, beyond/' Soon all verdure vanished, and 
their route lay through a land of desolation and sterility; 
an hour or so more, and the glaring red sands of the 
coast hills were passed, and they entered a more promis- 
ing region, a grazing country, where were " dense masses 
of evergreen trees, festooned with creepers, and inter- 
sected by green, grassy glades, made gay with beautiful 
orchids." The Bishop makes no special complaint, but 
during this first day's march the porters are usually very 
troublesome.* Mr. Thomson says that the experience 
of this first day " lowered the level of his enthusiasm 
more than anything that had yet occurred." No doubt 
the Mission party had their troubles. However, Han- 
nington says : " After marching till sunset, we suddenly 
came upon an open glade in the forest, and camped. 
The first time nothing goes right ; nobody seems to 
know what to do, or where to go, so some one has to 
show them. Gaiters, shovel-hat, and apron have all been 
laid aside for the journey, and so, unmindful of dignity, 
we rush hither and thither for firewood, and light the 
fire ; then with a mallet, not without much shouting, we 
manage to erect the tent ; next the bed, a mysterious 
puzzle which entirely defies an African head ; and so, 
pushing one boy in one direction, one in another, we do 

* Thomson, p. 63 ; Johnston, p. 48. 



JEt. 37.] A Plucky Porter. 347 

the thing for ourself, and by eleven o'clock are ready to 
lie down and get some rest. 

" Soon after 2 a.m. next morning we began to get under 
weigh, and started at 4 a.m. It looks well for us that 
we passed the spot where we meant to halt for breakfast 
without knowing it. At about 9 a.m. we arrived at a 
good big muddy pool, and halted for the day to reorgan- 
ize. It was a merciful providence that we were led to 
do so, for the heat was most intense — the men simply lay 
about under the bushes and groaned. As for myself, 1 
had not even the energy to get out my thermometer until 
the cool of the evening. Even then it marked ioo° 
Fahrenheit. 

"We had here a good example of the fact that 
Africans can be plucky sometimes, and will endure 
great hardships for the sake of wives and children. We 
were overhauling the men, that we might send back 
those who were proving themselves unfit for the march 
through weakness or sickness. One man, Dudu (the 
Insect '), was reported as suffering from dysentery 
rather seriously. 

"Said Handford, * You too will return, Dudu.' 

" ' I don't want to, Bwana ; I want to go on.' 

" ' You cannot, you are not able ; you must go back.' 

" He still pleaded, * I don't want to.' 

" ' Not another word ; if you come with us you will 
die. Go ! ' 

" < Then I won't.' 

" Handford sprang to his feet at such an unusual oc- 
currence, and the men standing round raised an aston- 
ished cry of shame against Dudu's rebellion ; when I 
stepped to the front and said, ' Let him come ; he has 
got some go in him.' 

" From that moment Dudu and I became friends * 



348 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

Dut," adds the Bishop, very characteristically, " I must 
confess that he buzzed about me afterwards rather more 
chan I liked." 

Their march now lay through the sterile land of 
Duruma, where a tribe of Wa-Nyika do their best to 
maintain themselves in their thorny jungles against 
famine on the one hand and Masai raiders on the other. 
Passing through this region of spiny aloes and cacti, 
they pressed on through a sandy desert, and halted at 
the rock pools, or " Ungurungas," of Mount Taro. Han- 
nington writes : 

"Arrived at Taro at 7 a.m. A beautiful spot— an 
oasis in the desert, with plenty of water, if you don't 
mind toads and tadpoles and such-like denizens of stag- 
nant pools. We had not been long in camp before a 
native of a small neighboring village, somewhere in the 
heart of an impenetrable jungle, crept out and made his 
way to my tent, and implored me to send his people a 
teacher and form a Station there. If we did, they could 
live in peace and cultivate the ground. Now they dared 
accumulate no possessions, lest they should excite the 
cupidity of the raiding Wa-Kama. These poor creatures 
have to eke out a miserable existence on berries, roots, 
and such game as they can kill with poisoned arrows. 
I gave him a small present, which he received with great 
suspicion. 

" Shortly after this our porters brought two Swahilis 
to Handford, asserting that they were sure there were 
slaves close at hand. 

" Some hours later, a cry of ' Slaves, slaves ! ' was 
raised, and off dashed most of the men in the direction 
of the cry. It appears that one of the porters, searching 
for firewood, suddenly came upon a caravan, and fear- 



Mt. 37.] Adventures with a Slave Caravan. 349 

ing they would kill him, raised this shout. Expecting 
a hand-to-hand fight, away we dashed after the men. 
Away, too, went I, in shirt-sleeves and slippers, clutch- 
ing my gun. The slippers kept coming off, and I was 
soon outdistanced by Handford. But it did not much 
matter, as there was no fight. The owners of the cara- 
van decamped when they saw us coming, and left their 
slaves, one woman and seven children, in the bush. So 
we found ourselves with eight poor, wretched slaves 
upon our hands. Such pitiable objects they were, more 
than half-starved. We decided to send them straight to 
the coast, in charge of some men. There the Consul 
freed them, and they were received by the Mission. It 
was, however, too late ; they never recovered from the 
cruel treatment they had received, and all died but one. 
Since this our caravans have liberated two more gangs. 
The Swahilis are so frightened of being caught and 
handed over to the authorities, that they simply flee and 
leave the slaves behind, so that, as Sir John Kirk says, 
under such circumstances you cannot help yourself; you 
must take possession of them. We are quite aware that 
we are not military authorities authorized to enforce the 
Sultan's laws, and, moreover, that it is not our part as 
Missionaries to employ force ; and we try as much as 
possible to avoid interference with any passing caravan. 
Interference, however, is sometimes thrust upon us. 
Would to God that we could overthrow this stronghold 
of Satan with the Sword of the Spirit ! " 

The next march was through the dreaded Taro plain, 
which stretches almost waterless as far as Taita. For 
the first few hours after leaving Taro the country is 
pleasant enough — an undulating, fertile region, well 
wooded, and not without shade. There is a pool, too, 



35° James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

called Ziwani, where a mouthful of dirty water may oc- 
casionally be obtained. After this an abrupt change 
takes place in the features of the landscape. Mr. Thom- 
son says : " The agreeable alternation of ridge and hol- 
low is exchanged for an apparently dead level plain, 
parched and waterless, as if no drop of life-giving rain 
refreshed the iron-bound soil. The dense jungle, the 
grassy glades, the open forest, disappear, and their place 
is taken by what may be called a skeleton forest." 

Such trees as there are, are almost wholly leafless ; 
stern, grey, and shadeless, they present rigid arms or 
formidable thorns instead of twigs and foliage. Aft 
green has vanished. Every sign of life is left behind, s* 
dreary silence reigns supreme throughout this dreadfu 1 
wilderness. Mr. Johnston, too, speaks of this part of his 
march as " that terrible journey," and tells how, in the 
fierce heat of that awful furnace, he and his men scarce- 
ly reached Mount Maungu alive. 

Let us see how the Bishop and his party crossed this 
land of death. 

"On the morrow we started for the dreaded Taro 
plain ; nor did we make a very happy commencement, 
for, soon after leaving camp, down came the rain in a 
perfect deluge, so that in a short time the ground was 
covered with an inch or two of water. Cloth, rice, and 
other loads were soaked, and their weight much in- 
creased for the poor men. We did not find the right 
track until nightfall. We then halted to wait for the 
moon, and meanwhile !ighted a huge fire, at which we 
soon dried most of our things ; then, without pitching 
tents, we snatched an hour or two of sleep in the open. 
At 1 a.m. we made a move, and in about two hours 
Handford and I reached water. But where were the 



'Et. 37.] Crossing a Land of Death. 351 

men ? They had, it appeared, allowed us to go on, and 
then had lighted, fires and laid them down to sleep again. 
Finding that they were not coming, I rolled myself up 
in a canvas cover, and withdrew a little apart from the 
others, who were talking, in order to get a nap. Pres- 
ently, just before I fell asleep, I was roused by the loud 
growl of a lion quite close at hand, so I took up my bed 
and went closer to the fire. At 11 a.m. we started again 
and walked till nightfall. Had to camp without water. 
Off again at 2 a.m., and by 9 a.m. we reached Maungu, 
after one of the most trying marches I ever remember. 
The road is most dismal. It passes through closely- 
packed thorn bushes, under, over, or through which you 
have to go. They tear your clothes and flesh, without 
affording a particle of shade. You can only see a few 
yards ahead, and the dead-looking forest is so monoton- 
ous that I can recall scarcely any special spot or feature 
as a way-mark. I retched with the intense heat. The 
sun literally seemed to bake one through. At Maungu 
the men had to climb nearly 2,000 feet before they 
reached the water. I had a slight touch of sun fever, 
hut on we must go, so at 4 p.m. we started again and 
talked till sunset. Again we camped without water. 
How little we appreciate our comforts at home — the 
blessing of a wash, for instance. No water means almost 
no wash. Being an old traveller I meet the difficulty by 
filling my sponge before starting, and tying it tightly in 
its bag. If we have two days without water, the first 
day I have what a school-boy would call a ' lick and a 
promise'; then the second day I wring out the water, 
and get quite a brave wash, the water afterwards com- 
ing in for the dog and the donkey. 

"Another night's march brought us to the foot of 
Taita Hill. But what a climb ! Three thousand feet of 



352 James Hannington, [A.D. 1885, 

steep, rugged road has to be dealt with as best one can, 
on hands and knees sometimes. The gneiss rocks which 
jutted out gave a very poor hold. How tired I was ! 
The natives choose the fastnesses for a double reason. 
They are excellent places from which to pounce down 
upon the weak, while, on the other hand, they are a 
natural fortress against the strong. After about a 
thousand feet of climbing we came upon villages, but 
everywhere deserted. What had once been banana 
groves and plantations are now patches of rank grass 
and ill weeds. 

" We found Mr. Wray in a state of semi-siege. The 
Wa-Kamba had attacked and burned villages in sight of 
him, and for two days he and his people had been on 
guard, fearing, I think needlessly, that they might be 
stormed. Our arrival was a great relief to him, the 
more so as we brought the much needed food." 

The mountains of Taita rise to between five and six 
thousand feet above the plain. Mr. Thomson says : 
" The whole appearance of the Taita highlands is strik- 
ingly suggestive of an archipelago of islands, rising with 
great abruptness from a greyish green sea, as the great 
weird plain, already described, surrounds it on all sides." 
About two thousand five hundred feet up the side of 
Mount Ndara is the Mission Station. There Mr. Wray 
was bravely holding the fort in spite of the difficulties 
which beset him. The people were dying of starvation, 
and inclined to curse him as the evil author of their 
troubles ; but he had, nevertheless, won the confidence 
and affection of those with whom he was able to come 
into contact. The Bishop writes of him : 

"Corn in the ear he cannot point to, but I found that 
he had broken up an unusually hard fallow, and sown 




o 
o 

Pn 

CO 

< 

< 

o 

H 

w 



<Et. 37.] Famine at Taita. 353 

the seed of which the blade already begins to appear 
He is much attached to the people. This being the case, 
and the station being a valuable link in a line of stations, 
one would make every effort to keep it going. Yet the 
famine presses hard. In spite of our supplies of food, 
many have died, many have left, and many have been 
killed or captured and sold for slaves. Thus, all the 
villages, except those immediately under Mr. Wray's 
wing, are utterly abandoned. The people around him 
number less than a hundred. These I assembled to 
hear their opinion upon the situation. They were most 
decided. ' We do not wish to desert Bwana, but we can- 
not stop here. Sometimes you feed us, sometimes you 
do not, and then we have to return to eating grass and 
insects. Not one neighbor have we left. Even if you 
gave us seed to-morrow, it would be four months before 
we could get any food.' It seemed then to all of us that, 
in the face of this, the station could not be continued. 
With so many demands for missionaries from populous 
districts, and when, too, these few families could be bet- 
ter and at far less expense cared for at Rabai, it appear- 
ed a waste of men and means to let Mr. Wray continue 
here. I therefore arranged that they should be received 
at Rabai, and the native catechist, Cicil Mabaruki, who 
has been under Mr. Wray, and of whom he speaks very 
highly, will be specially told oft to look after them. If 
the mountain should again be populated, there will be 
nothing to prevent us from again taking possession of 
the same site at any time." 

" Feb. 10th saw us on the move again, accompanied 
by Mr. Wray. The descent on the west side of Taita 
Hill we found to be much steeper, but shorter and less 
fatiguing than that on the east. At one part the track 
led over a smooth, steeply sloping rock, over which it 



354 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

was almost impossible to get the donkeys. One of them 
was rather badly hurt. When we reached the bottom, 
the arms of the great plain which thrusts itself in be- 
tween the two Taitas had to be crossed, and on the mor- 
row, after forcing our way through a terrible thicket, 
through which the men with great difficulty got their 
loads, we encamped near a Wa-Kamba village. We fired 
our guns, and the men rushed out. These are the peo- 
ple who have so cruelly ravaged Sagalla (Wray's moun- 
tain), but they were friendly enough to us, and here we 
spent our first ' money,' and for a little cloth bought 
some heads of Indian corn. 

"Feb. 12th, — A day to be remembered. I must rank 
it among the red-letter days of my traveller's experience. 
I led the caravan out at 4.30, and got off clear, but Hand- 
ford, who brought up the rear, met with some opposi- 
tion and demands for hongo (here called ' fingo '). One 
of the village elders blocked his path, and tried to extort 
a tribute. After a short climb over a steep and rugged 
track, we rounded the headland of the Bura Mountain, 
and crossed the beautiful pass of Kilima Kibomu. As 
we topped a rise, suddenly before our astonished gaze 
flashed Kilima-njaro in all his glory ! How lovely the 
great mountain looked — all radiant with the rays of the 
rising sun. We had, by the best fortune, arrived at this 
point of vantage just at the hour of sunrise, when the 
vast silver dome for a short time shakes aside the mist 
wreaths which during the rest of the day so frequently 
enswathe his snow-crowned summit. From where we 
stood, and at this distance, the two peaks — the dome- 
shaped Kibo and the needle-pointed Kimawenzi — were 
merged into one ; and only with the glass could I dis- 
tinguish their different outlines. The sight was so sur- 
passingly beautiful that it called forth long and loud 



&t- 37-] TAe Dreaded Hongo. 355 

exclamations from the stolid Africans around us, many 
of whom had accompanied Thomson or Johnston, some 
both, and who were well acquainted with the snow- 
giant. That an African should exclaim, or even take 
note of any natural scene, however grand, is something 
quite uncommon ; but now all, black and white alike, 
were in ecstasy at the magnificence and beauty of the 
sight. We at once called a halt, and, as long as time 
permitted, we feasted our eyes on snow under the burn- 
ing sun of Africa. 

" Too soon we had to resume our weary march, and 
descending the pass we came to the dreaded hongo station 
of the Kilima. We met with a little braggadocio on the 
part of one gentleman, who even threatened to kill any 
stragglers we might leave behind ; but we told him that 
we did not mean to leave any, and very placidly wished 
nim good-morning, and passed on, in spite of his war-cry 
and endeavor to raise the country against us. At the 
next village, Burra, passing a foot-track which led in 
the wrong direction, I, according to custom, drew a line 
across it with my stick, as a signal to those behind not 
to go that way. An old woman who happened to be 
standing on the path was seized with a paroxysm of ter- 
ror. She was fully persuaded that I had done this to 
bewitch her, and raised the most fearful shrieks, calling 
on all around to kill n\e. Through the woods and over 
the hills rang her shrill cries, so, as we could not in any 
way pacify her, and not knowing what might come of it, 
we left her screaming and hurriedly passed on. 

" We were now on the verge of the vast and almost 
waterless plain which lies between Taita and Taveta, and 
we were warned to expect no water for at least two days. 
So accordingly, we started, prepared for the worst. This 
plain exactly fulfils the idea which I had formed of an 



356 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

African plain from pictures and descriptions before I 
visited the country. It is covered with game of all 
kinds. Herds of inquisitive zebra came barking and 
galloping past to inspect the caravan; hartebeeste, eland, 
springbuck, and other antelopes were to be seen every- 
where. The long necks of giraffe issued, serpent-like, 
from the grass ; and in the dusk one could hear the deep 
roaring of lions over their meal. Thus the attention was 
always held occupied by some new or interesting sight, 
and minutes imperceptibly grew into hours, so that many 
an otherwise weary mile was passed swiftly by. More- 
over, travelling was becoming far easier and more pleas- 
ant to me as I got into training. Here, too, at this 
altitude, the air was much cooler — even cold at night. 
At one spot we came upon a fire, round which was seated 
a group of starving Wa-Taita, endeavoring to struggle 
on to the more fertile districts that surround the moun- 
tain. They had already abandoned one woman and 
child. The mother was dead, but the child we enabled 
them to rescue by giving them food and encouraging 
them to return and search for it. Soon afterwards we 
came, quite unexpectedly, upon water. So the plain 
was passed without any difficulty. The men found the 
carcase of an antelope, upon half of which a lion had 
breakfasted ; over this they were soon quarrelling and 
feasting. 

" On Saturday, Feb. 14, the dark green shades of 
Taveta began to be visible, and soon we entered a dense 
forest, through which we crept mysteriously, and on tip- 
toe, lest the inhabitants should hear us and shut the gates 
against us, refusing to open them until a heavy hongo 
had been paid. With bated breath we crept along ; so 
absorbed were we that I almost forgot to taste a new 
kind of fruit which hung overhead, and Handford forgot 






JEt. 37.] Taveta. 357 

to look where he was treading, and so fell headlong over 
a stump ! (If we could have exchanged memories for 
the time, we should both have been better off.) Present- 
ly we arrived at the tunnel-like portal, so low that only 
on hands and knees can admission be gained, while some 
of the loads had to be coaxed through ; but to our joy 
the door was open, so we could easily afford to stoop. I 
found out afterwards that all our fuss was so much waste 
of energy. Confidence in the white man has been fully 
established here. I do not think they would keep one 
waiting outside for a single instant. The people re- 
ceived us in the most friendly manner. 

" Next morning, on waking, we found ourselves in a 
magnificent forest, honeycombed with luxuriant gardens 
of maize, Indian corn, and broad-leaved banana-trees. 
The people are peculiarly gentle and taking in manner 
and conversation. The description of Laish (Judges 
xviii.) seems to me exactly to suit them : ' They dwelt 
careless, quiet, and secure ; and there was no magistrate in the 
land to put them to shame' Usually this would be a land 
of plenty, but this terrible famine has driven a large 
number of starving neighbors within their bounds, and 
they too are feeling the pinch. 

" One thing we were all agreed upon— this is not the 
place for a European Missionary. Travellers who recom- 
mend it have probably not seen it as we did, in the depth 
of the rainy season, when the rich, black, vegetable soil 
constantly exudes poisonous vapors. The forest is so 
dense that it almost excludes the refreshing breezes, 
and so overshadows the open spaces and plantations 
that large parts of them are constantly w T et. Both going 
and coming, Mr. Wray had attacks of fever here, and I 
had what might be called a loud warning ; so that, 
beautiful as the place is in many respects, we were un- 



35^ James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

commonly glad to be out of it, and to find ourselves, on 
March the 17 th, en route for Chagga.* Martin, who was 
with Thomson, told me that Taveta was the only place 
where he was ill." 

During the three days spent in Taveta, the Bishop lost 
no opportunity of inspecting the place with a view to 
future Missionary work. He also did some business in 
behalf of Mr. Johnston, leader of the recent Kilima-njaro 
expedition, and, in accordance with a request from the 
Consul, settled up Mr. Johnston's affairs, and paid off 
his men. 

On the afternoon of the 17th, messengers arrived from 
Mandara with an ox as a present from the king. So 
they started. " Just as we approached our sleeping- 
place, a rhinoceros strolled leisurely away, I suppose to 
make room for us, and I think he was wise." 

The next morning they breasted the steep ascent to 
Chagga. " Kilima-njaro, with his two peaks, Kibo and 
Kimawenzi, were magnificently in view in the early 
dawn, and remained so about long enough for me to 
sketch them ; then, as usual, they were again veiled in 
clouds. Herds of buffalo and large game appeared 
quite close to us, but we could not then stalk them. 
As we approached Moschi the men became very excited. 
We fired the royal salute which this august monarch 
rigidly exacts from his guests, and were answered by a 
salvo from his two cannon. It was quite night (8 p.m.) 
before we crossed the beautiful valley which separates 
the outer world from Moschi ; however, to my great 
surprise, we were ushered at once into Mandara's pres- 

* The whole highland district on the southern and eastern spurs 
of Kilima-njaro is called Chagga. It is occupied by several tribes, 
of which Mandara's is the most powerful. 





M 






jEt. 37. Interview with Mandara. 359 

ence. If first impressions are to be trusted we shall get 
on. I was very favorably struck, not only with his gen- 
eral appearance, but also by his kindliness of manner 
and intelligence. The interview was a short one ; we 
craved no more than to be allowed to seek our respect- 
ive couches. 

"March igth. — We had one of those drenching nights 
with which one sometimes meets in Africa. We could 
not pitch our tents till late, and then had no time to dig 
trenches round them. Consequently the water rushed 
through the tents in torrents. As the men and boys had 
no shelter of any kind, I invited as many as possible into 
my tent, which is a very small one. We managed to 
squeeze in, however, myself, two on the floor, another 
curled up on the foot of my camp-bed, and Pinto, my 
invaluable coolie, in the chair. Presently I heard an 
ominous sound and shouts for help. Handford's tent 
was laid flat. Thus, between one thing and another, 
our first night on the slopes of Kilima-njaro was not a 
pleasant one. However, I rose before daylight and 
made certain preparations, for I had my suspicions, 
which proved to be true, that dawn would bring the 
roseate Mandara (he wears a rosy-red robe). Sure 
enough there he was, with about twenty warriors, all 
stark naked, fine athletic young men of one of the Masai 
clans, and looking fierce enough to frighten one out of 
his wits. I presented Mandara with a box and uniform, 
which he received in a most satisfactory manner, nor 
did he ask to see a single thing in the tent, though I 
thought his one bright eye roved about in rather a 
restless manner. ' Wait,' said I, { he will develop.' 

"After breakfast we returned his visit, and received 
the present of a goat and cow. We then cautiously un- 
folded the objects of our visit. The same caution was 



360 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

strictly observed on his part. The sum of what he said 
is the echo of almost every chief's voice in Africa, ' I 
want guns and gunpowder, and if I can't have them, the 
next best thing is a white teacher to live in the land.' " 

Those who have read Mr. Johnston's most interesting 
book on the Kilima-njaro expedition will scarcely be 
surprised to hear that Mandara did not appreciate the 
manner in which that explorer had taken leave of him. 
Mr. Johnston's subterfuge extricated him from a serious 
difficulty, but did not tend to make matters easy for 
any European who should come after him. Mandara's 
own provoking conduct, no doubt, made some excep- 
tional measure on Mr. Johnston's part necessary, but he 
none the less resented the method of his escape. He 
complained bitterly to Bishop Hannington of the treat- 
ment to which he had been subjected, and said that 
after his recent experience of white men, he did not 
much wish to have another, though he would receive a 
resident teacher. The Bishop told him plainly that his 
present visit was merely one of inquiry, and that he 
would determine later whether a teacher should be sent. 
He writes : 

" To the end Mandara maintained the same princely 
bearing and gentlemanly conduct. With the exception 
of Mirambo, I have never met in the interior a shrewder 
or more enlightened chief.* I have but little doubt that 
the history of a Mission here, if properly maintained, 
would be the counterpart of most of our Missions : the 
reception of the white man with joy and gladness • 
everything done for him for a week or two, then a cool- 

* It will be remembered that Bishop Hannington had not seen 
Mtesa. 



Mt. 37.] Mr. Wray Prostrated by Fever. 361 

ing down of the first love, neglect, perhaps even perse- 
cution ; after which, if patiently endured, fresh over- 
tures, a mutual understanding deepening into confi- 
dence and love ; then a gradual opening of the door, a 
breaking down of superstitions, a reception of the Gos- 
pel of Peace and of the sweet Saviour of men. 

" May God give Chagga to His Son ! It is a lovely 
spot. I often exclaimed, ' Here is England ; England ! 
You see England here ! Yes, and that part of England 
which I love best, dear Devonshire.' " 

" Thursday, March igth. — Last night was too much for 

He has determined to return. I am most anxious 

he should remain until Monday. He next to declines 
unless I command, which I am unwilling to do." 

This determination on the part of one of his staff was 
most inopportune, as Mr. Wray was incapacitated by 
fever caught on the road, and the Bishop was left at a 
critical time to fall back upon his own resources. But, 
with his usual unselfishness and consideration for others, 
he did not insist upon retaining his follower for a single 
day longer than he was willing to remain. Happily, he 
was himself in good health and able to rise to the 
occasion. 

" March 20th. — Writing as fast as I can, to send by the 

mail. left about noon in pouring rain and mist. 

Wet weather, very depressing. The chief visited me 
again. I was drawing at the time, and drew him, which 
rather wounded his feelings. Lovely view of Kilima- 
njaro in the evening. 

"March 21st. — A war party arrived to-day, about 500, 
with immense droves of cattle, which Mandara distrib- 
uted throughout the various villages. Very little excite- 
ment, and no tom-toming whatever. I was surprised at 
16 



362 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

the order kept. Went up to see Johnston's house; found 
that it would be a nice place to pitch our tents, and so 
got leave from the chief. Had Wray carried up, as he 
has fever, and in the afternoon we were comfortably 
settled ; nearly 1,000 feet higher than Moschi, and very 
private. These valleys are very like Devonshire." 

During his stay at Moschi, though all Hannington's 
instincts prompted him to explore and collect, he set 
apart but one day for that purpose. He never for a 
moment forgot the object of his journey, which was the 
establishment of a chain of Mission Stations westward 
to the Lake. On Monday, the 23d, however, he deter- 
mined to ascend the mountain as far as he could in one 
day, and to make a small collection of such of its flora 
and fauna as he could manage in so short a time to 
secure. 

He started from their camping-place at Kitimbiriu,* 
early in the morning, with his three boys. At first they 
ascended through lanes of dracaenas and gorgeous scar- 
let-flowered aloes, and the track led past the clustering 
huts of the friendly Wa-Chagga. These flocked out to 
see the Bwana Mkubwa, who came of a race possessed 
of such a strange love of wandering. A little higher 
than 5,000 feet they came out upon grassy downs which 
reminded the Bishop of Devonshire.! Above this again 
began the tangled forest, with its dense and almost im- 
penetrable undergrowth, which clings to the mountain 
to the height of about 9,000 feet. The Bishop had no 

* Johnston, p. 142. 

t Johnston, p. 230. " The surrounding scenery was now charm- 
ingly soft and pretty, so exactly like Devonshire hills and coombes 
in general aspect that I need not give it a more detailed descrip- 
tion." 



^t. 37.] The Country of Kibosho. 363 

guide, and soon got into difficulties. He writes in one 
of his letters: 

" I made one attempt to cross the savage country of 
Kibosho, not, as the last traveller, armed to the teeth, 
but with my three boys and umbrella.* We passed 
through some grand forest scenery, got into the region 
of heath and tree-ferns, failed to attain any great height 
(about 8,800 feet), and finally got lost in a desperate 
tangle, out of which we had the utmost difficulty in find- 
ing our way." 

His pocket-book journal is more graphic in its jot- 
tings : 

" Started early with my three small boys, to try and pass 
the forest line on Kilima-njaro. Heavy dew and cloud 
Was our lot, during a long ascent of some hours through 
a wonderful moss-and-fern-clad forest. At length we 
reached lovely tree-ferns and heath like a Devonshire 
moor, which made my heart beat quick. The path which 
we had ascended all the morning now divided, and the 
forest became so dense that we could form no idea as 
to where we were. So I decided to return. Missed the 
path, amongst the hundreds of elephant tracks, and got 
utterly lost. To add to our misery, pouring rain set in, 
and I fell down an elephant pit. Never had I felt more 
bewildered. The boys were terrified. f At length one 

* Mr. Johnston had unfortunately for himself become entangled 
in Mandara's wars with his neighbors, and the Wa-Kibosho, in 
consequence, looked upon him as their enemy, and opposed his 
ascent of the mountain. 

t Mr. Johnston writes of this forest : " The dull gloom was very 
oppressive. The mists of the mountain permeated the foliage and 
a continual moisture dripped down on us. We were all wetted 
through every covering. Our clothes were ponderous with absorbed 



364 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

of them, a M-Taita, roused himself, and, with true native 
sagacity, discerned the elephant tracks from the path 
smoothed by human feet — no easy matter — and brought 
us back to the right way. I only got one peep of Kilima- 
njaro all day. Not over-tired, but drenched through, 
and so wet my plants." Elsewhere the Bishop says that 
he was so thoroughly wetted by the dripping under- 
growth through which they passed that on their way 
home he waded through a stream almost up to his neck 
without getting any sensibly wetter. The following ex- 
tract from a letter to Mr. Mitten will explain the refer- 
ence to the plants: 

" My dear Prof., — I have to-day sent to the Brit. Mus. 
a box of butterflies and a box of mosses from Kilima- 
njaro. I have asked the Librarian to have them for- 
warded to you. My plants all got spoilt with the intense 
rain, ferns and all, the mosses running a very narrow 
shave, and many are discolored. I only got up about 
8,800 feet, but I am off there again if nothing pre- 
vent, and hope to get higher. I wanted to get to the 
snow-line for mosses, and made a desperate struggle, 
but the ascent is so gradual that it takes a very long 
time. I started at about 5,000 ft., and walked from 

water — it was fatiguing to stagger under their weight. Noises full 
of vague terror to my superstitious following broke the stillness of 
the rank depths wherein we stumbled and crept along. Each 
porter, as he clutched his load with one hand and with the other 
pushed aside the interwoven boughs, turned his head uneasily from 
side to side, dreading the sudden rising from the bush of some ter- 
rible unimagined foe." No wonder that the Bishop's boys became 
terrified as they tremblingly followed their master ever upward 
toward the demon-haunted throne of the Spirit of the Mountain. 
The traveller through these African forest wilds begins to under- 
stand the feeling which originated those grim and weird German 
legends, so full of the vague terrors of " the Forest." 



^Et. 37.] Farewell Visit to Mandara. 365 

morning till 4 p.m. with scarce any stoppages, and then 
never got out of the dense forest tangle. Among the 
mosses I recognized several old acquaintances ; in fact, 
I don't think you will get six new things out of the lot, 
as I swept pretty clean in U-Sagara last visit, and the 
same things seem to crop up here.* I have been won- 
derfully well and active, and have got over as much 
ground in a given time as anybody out here, and I be- 
lieve that I could start with you to-day and run over the 
Alps better than ever I did before. This new road is 
perfectly healthy and very bracing, and travelling has 
been like in England or Wales. The rainfall here has 
been terrible, six inches in four days, so that I am ex- 
pecting an unhealthy time very shortly. How I should 
like to show you round my garden and to see yours. 
Mine now is about the size of yours, and stored w T ith 
the curious. The views from it are simply exquisite, as 
it runs down to the sea." f 

An opportunity of reascending Kilima-njaro was 
again, somewhat unexpectedly, afforded, and this time 
the Bishop took Mr. Wray and eight men with him. It 
is, however, impossible to gain a great height without 
spending a night on the mountain, and they did not 
reach higher than 9,000 feet. 

On the 25th of March, Hannington paid his farewell 
visit to Mandara. He writes: 

" This afternoon, he sent me a magnificent spear, a 
rhinoceros-horn knob-stick, and a beautifully worked 
chain, which latter I gave to Wray. I sent one or two 
extra presents to Mandara in my ecstasy over the spear. 

* Hannington's name is associated with an Asplenium, A. Han- 
niiigtoni, and a Passion Flower, Tryphostemma Hanningtonianum, 
t This was written from the Bishop's House at Frere Town. 



366 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

" Thursday, March 26th. — Up at 4 a.m. Dreadful busi- 
ness with the men. Final visit to the chief ; received 
an ox, a magnificent goat, an immense quantity of fresh 
milk, and a small elephant's tusk, for which latter he 
wants some soap and paraffin. Mandara and I have hit 
it off very well, and we both express ourselves satisfied 
and pleased. 

" The next day we arrived in Fumba's country. We 
were asked to halt and wait instructions, while the de- 
lighted people gathered round us in great curiosity, as 
this little territory is off the traveller's track ; in fact, 
we only found ourselves there by having mistaken a 
turn. Presently the chief's father arrived, bringing with 
him a sheep. This had at once to be killed, though not 
before we and they had spit on its head. Then some 
strips of skin were cut off and made into rings, one of 
which was put on my finger, and another on Wray's ; 
then we had in turn to put rings on two of them. After 
this, the liver was examined, and finally we were freely 
splashed with the entrails, and the ceremony which 
made us brothers was completed. We were now per- 
mitted to make a move towards the chief and to encamp. 
Then another sheep had to be killed, the same ceremony 
yet more elaborately performed, and the conversation 
began. It was not interesting. It harped too much 
upon one string. The burden was the old African song, 
'Give, give, give.' The next day we bade them farewell, 
and arrived in the truly lovely country of the young 
chief Miliali. He much wants a teacher ; but, like the 
rest, wants gunpowder more. 

" All these districts are on the eastern slope of the 
mountain, and comprise Chagga proper, the natives all 
appearing to speak the same tongue. I have seen no 
place in Africa so beautiful as this; rapid torrents dash 




MOUNTAIN TORRENT, MARANGO, KILIMA-NJARO. 



JEt. 37.] Killed by the Rain, 367 

down the mountain sides, forming a succession of lovely 
cascades. There are grass)? - slopes, fern-clad rocks, even 
shady lanes, in which the blackberry abounds. Nooks 
entirely tropical, and snow-clad heights. You have, in 
fact, panoramic views of the scenery of the world. 

"March 31^/. — We left Miliali's at about 3 p.m., being 
rather delayed by the attempt of the natives to rob one 
of our men. We soon reached a river, and found an ab- 
solutely perpendicular precipice of some 50 feet, up 
which men can climb by roots and creepers ; but a 
sheer impossibility for Wray's donkey. We turned ; the 
guides vowed there was no other place, and defied us to 
try. We braved their wrath and found another, though 
the difficulties were scarcely less. Here, somehow or 
other, in the darkness we got separated, my tent and 
several loads taking an entirely different road from the 
one I had the misfortune to follow. Night came on, and 
with it torrents of rain. I waited, hoping it would clear, 
and expecting my tent. An hour passed and still I 
stood. Wray now made an effort and got his tent under 
weigh. It is a very small one, and with himself and six 
boxes there was scarcely room to stir. We tried to light 
a fire with oil and tallow and fat, but in vain ; for once 
we were entirely beaten, and, worse still, nearly blinded 
with evil-smelling smoke. Wray succeeded in getting 
a bed, but I had to face the mud on the wet ground, 
spreading a blanket over it. I had to lie down in my 
wet clothes, gaiters and boots, and I made two of my 
wet boys, both for their own sakes and mine, come and lie 
one on each side of me, as close as sardines, to prevent 
the chance of a chill. The rain killed one of the men — 
he died two days after.* How thankful we were when 

* Nothing seems to demoralize the coast porter more than con- 
tinued, heavy rain. 



368 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

day broke ! In spite of being bespattered with mud, 
and wet through, it was delightful to be at least able to 
see what we were about. I had scarcely aroused myself 
when a shrill war-cry rang through the forest, and a 
large body of armed men sprang from the bushes and 
bore down upon us. Thank God, my old nerve re- 
mained. I ran forward alone and unarmed to meet 
them, for the least false step on the part of our men 
would have caused a general massacre. I must confess 
that my heart seemed to jump into my mouth as they 
charged up the hill, yelling and brandishing their spears. 
I seized a bough, as a token of peace, and shouted, 
' Jambo ! Good-morning ! Do you want to kill a white 
man V A sudden halt, and a dead pause ; at last, ' No, 
we don't ; but we thought you were Masai.' 

" It appeared that a man living near had heard us talk- 
ing in the dark, and thinking that the Masai were upon 
them, sent all round the country, and gathered a large 
force to annihilate us. When they saw how matters 
stood, they at once made friends, and tried hard to per- 
suade us to remain and visit Mambo, their chief. But 
as I had no tent, I declined. In revenge they made April 
fools of us poor dripping creatures, and sent us the 
wrong way through the forest, so that we had finally to 
cut a road with our axes for ourselves, until at last we 
joined the road at the top of the precipice which the 
donkey had been unable to climb. We then with swift 
steps fled from such dangerous quarters, but did not 
come up with our baggage, so we had again to sleep 
out without cover. There had been no sun to dry our 
things, so we spent a miserable night. 

" The next day I rose at 4 a.m. and doctored the sick 
man mentioned above. We then marched as well as our 
weary and stiff frames would let us along a heavy, wet 



JEt. 37.] Unhealthy Taveta. 369 

road which led us to Taveta. Here we were made once 
more comfortable, and, by the great mercy of God, I 
escaped evil consequences from my two nights' exposure. 
The sick man, without my knowledge, asked to be 
washed in warm water, and a few minutes later I was 
called to see him, and found him dying. He was killed 
by the terrible rain, while I, in God's mercy, am spared 
without even a cold ! 

" Good Friday; up at daybreak to see about the grave 
of our poor porter. The men took great pains about it. 
He was not baptized, but had been under Christian in- 
struction. We said some Collects over his grave. We 
then had the Service of the Day. I afterwards strolled 
in the forest, and, venturing to leave the path, had great 
work to return. On Saturday I had a good catch of 
butterflies. The place swarms with monkeys, vultures, 
and great quaint-looking hornbills. 

" On Easter Day we had a Swahili Service for the 
men. We then celebrated the Holy Communion — our 
two selves and three of the men. 

" Here I felt a near approach of fever, and only warded 
it off by an immediate application of remedies. Taveta 
is most beautiful and fascinating, with its groves and 
streams, and a kindly and hospitable people making the 
stranger welcome to their forest home ; but it is most 
unhealthy, at least at this season. It is, in fact, the only 
unhealthy spot which we have visited on this route. 
Wray was also threatened with another attack of fever, 
and went straight to bed. 

" On Monday we were off at daybreak ; we had some 
difficulty in getting out, owing to the depth of black 
mud ; but it was with no small satisfaction that I stood 
outside the forest and felt a blow of wind upon me once 
more. 

16* 



3/0 James Hannington, [A.D. 1885. 

" Giraffe, Koodoo and other antelopes all round, but 
they don't tempt me. 

"April 7. — Fever threatening, but I won't give way." 
So he walked all day, as the best means of shaking it 
off. " Presently two guns ahead, and a man runs to 
meet me. He carries a letter. Huzza ! Oh, the joy ! 
— my mail, and all well. Thank God ! 

" Game everywhere on the plain. Saw many ostriches. 
Nearly picked up a snake, thinking it was a quail. 

•' April 8, 4 a.m. — Scotch mist, and very cold. The 
men clung to their fires. I had to dash at them, and 
straw the fires out, and left camp hurling firebrands at 
some of the most obstinate. Tedious march to Mgameni; 
bad smell. Wray gave in. Terrible rain, but we were 
partly under cover. On once more. The hammock men 
went ahead, leaving me to walk through the river. Very 
vexed, as it was thoughtless of them, and puts me in 
great danger of fever. Wring my socks and get on as 
best I can. Have to get all the men together to pass 
Kilima Kilomu, fearing hongo. Escaped. More rain ; 
tremendously long grass ; arrive in camp, 6 p.m., tired 
almost beyond endurance." 

I quote these jottings as they are scribbled on the leaf 
of his pocket-book ; they seem to me to be more elo- 
quent than many an elaborate description. As we read 
them, the image of the weary and overdone man, who 
had given up his own hammock to his sick friend, stum- 
bling through the sodden grass of the muddy plain, yet 
refusing to own himself beaten, and doggedly plodding 
forward, ever forward — stands out with the vraisem- 
blance of an instantaneous photograph. 

By the evening of the next day they reached Taita 
The Bishop expected to find here a caravan which Mr, 



Mt. 37.] Arrival at Taita. 371 

Handford had been directed to send from the coast with 
food. Through a sequence of mischances this convoy 
had been delayed, and when the party arrived from 
Taveta with their own stores exhausted, they found no 
replenishment. The Bishop writes : " I was in despair. 
After waiting for a day or two on famine allowance, we 
were reduced to considerable straits. Barely eating 
enough to support life, it was difficult to eat that, for 
the poor starving Wa-Taita came round and watched 
every mouthful we took, like hungry dogs. I think I 
should go mad if this went on much longer." 

After doing his best to inculcate patience among hib 
followers, the Bishop relieved his feelings by a good 
butterfly hunt for the British Museum. But things were 
waxing desperate, when, late in the afternoon of the nth, 
a gun announced the laggard caravan. He writes : 
" How full of joy I felt ! Food for the starving ! " 

"On Sunday, April 12th, after Morning Service, we 
gathered together the remaining Wa-Taita, who were 
helpless against their enemies, and famishing, and ar- 
ranged that some of them should go with me, the rest 
follow later on to the coast." 

The next day the Bishop started, leaving Mr. Wray at 
the Mission House, and taking with him thirty of the 
half-starved people. He writes : " It was very nice to 
hear a little group of men praying round their fire as I 
laid me to sleep." 

Happily the passage of this miscellaneous troop over 
the dreadful desert between Maungu and Taro was made 
on a comparatively cool day, so that they crossed the 
waterless region without any great suffering. In due 
time the Bishop brought his whole party safely through 
to Rabai. Here the Wa-Taita were left in good hands, 



372 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

and he himself, without stopping, went straight on to 
Frere Town. 

Thus ended an eventful journey. The Bishop writes: 

" I have to praise God for one of the most successful 
journeys, as a journey, that I ever took. For myself, 
too, I have enjoyed most excellent health almost the 
whole way, during a tramp of four hundred miles.* 
May its result be the planting of the Cross of Christ 

ON KlLIMA-NJARO ! " f 



*This is a most modest estimate, and almost "as the crow 
flies." The actual distance there and back, allowing - for inevitable 
windings, would probably be more than five hundred miles. 

tThis has been the result. A Mission Station is now established 
at Moschi in Chagga, where Messrs. Wray and Fitch do outpost 
duty. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

"the work of a bishop." 

(1885. april — june.) 

" Probably no one will deny that this .... holiness has ex- 
isted. Few will maintain that it has been exceedingly rare. Per- 
haps the truth is that there has scarcely been a town in any Chris- 
tian country, since the time of Christ, where a century has passed 
without exhibiting a character of such elevation that his mere pres- 
ence has shamed the bad, and made the good better, and has been 
felt at times like the presence of God Himself. And if this be so, 
has Christ failed ? or can Christianity die ? " — Ecce Homo. 

Sunburnt and shaggy, but glowing with health, the 
Bishop once more stood, surrounded by his friends, 
upon the threshold of his own house at Frere Town. 
He was overjoyed to think that upon this new route 
westward there were no difficulties which might not be 
overcome by courage, prudence, and experience. No 
ghastly malarial fevers ; no cruel dysenteric attacks, 
such as on the lower road reduced the strength of the 
strongest man, and neutralized his bravest efforts. 
When he compared his experience upon this journey 
with those of his terrible march of death from Zanzibar 
to the Lake in the previous year, he was filled with a 
kind of triumph. What if it were possible to push 
straight through, as Thomson had done, to the North 
end of the Nyanza ! Might not many lives be saved, 
and incalculable suffering averted ? Already the idea 
began to form itself definitely in his mind. The idea, 
once started, formulated itself rapidly. The more he 
thought about it, the more feasible did the new route 

(373) 



374 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

appear. The way was shorter by a very considerable 
distance ; it was incontestably healthier ; it lay through 
a country which, in many places, possessed an English 
climate, and was thoroughly suitable for European resi- 
dence ; there was at that time no reason to suppose that 
the Ba-ganda would offer any opposition to an approach 
from the Northeast. The only serious difficulty ap- 
peared to be the lawless and irrepressible Masai. Well, 
Mr. Thomson had proved that it was quite possible to 
pass through the country of these truculent warriors 
without danger much greater than was incidental to al T 
African travelling through unexplored regions. Jumba 
Kimameta and other traders were in the habit of taking 
caravans regularly backwards and forwards through the 
heart of the Masai country ; and, in fine, Hannington 
did not believe that there were any insurmountable 
obstacles to the establishment of a chain of Mission 
Stations which should extend from Mombasa, through 
Taita or Chagga by Lakes Naivasha and Baringo, to 
U-Ganda. But the weightiest chain of thought is, like 
other chains, no stronger than its weakest link ; and 
ignorance of a single detail may upset the conclusions 
of the most cogent reasoning ; and the Bishop and his 
friends were unfortunately ignorant of one fact of which 
we, who are wise after the event, are now aware. I 
mean the suspicion and fear with which all visitors from 
the Northeast are regarded by the people of U-Ganda. 
But of this anon. The Bishop shall presently explain 
his own views in his own words. In the meanwhile, it 
is sufficient for us to note that his mind had already 
grasped the idea of a new and better route to the Lake, 
and that he was even now making inquiries with regard 
to it of every practical man with whom he was acquaint- 
ed, and planning the details in his busy brain. 






■ 



*£t. 37.J Fulladoyo. 375 

A few days after his return from Chagga he wrote to 
Mr. Wigram : " You will be utterly frightened when you 
hear that I am consulting all whom I can, with a view 
to crossing the Masai country to the Lake ; but reserve 
your judgment until you hear from me by the next 
mail." 

When the Bishop returned from his long tramp, he 
found a good deal of work awaiting him in Frere Town 
and the neighborhood. He did not allow himself long 
to rest, but started again almost immediately to visit a 
station to the North, called Mwaiba (marked on the map 
Kamlikeni), in the Giriama country. He took with him 
his Chaplain, Mr. Fitch, and Jones, the catechist. On 
their way, they visited a station of the United Free 
Methodists at Ribe. Mr. and Mrs. Houghton, the mis- 
sionaries there, are now well known by name, as they 
were both murdered by the Masai * in the spring of this 
year, 1886, surviving Bishop Hannington by about six 
months. They gave him " a kind welcome " — which, no 
doubt, he has since returned. 

Not far from Mwaiba Hiil is the interesting settlement 
of Fulladoyo, where a number of runaway slaves have 
collected ; w T here also a chief named Mbaruk, who has 
been outlawed by the Sultan of Zanzibar, has taken up 
his abode. The C. M. S. has been compelled to eschew 
the neighborhood of Fulladoyo, lest the Missionaries 
should be accused of leaguing themselves with the rebels. 

The Bishop writes : " I determined to take a private 
peep at Fulladoyo, and, if possible, see this Mbaruk. 
Walked twenty-four miles ) arrived at F., 11 p.m. At 

* Mr. and Mrs. Houghton were not sent as missionaries to the 
Masai, but were located in the Galla Country, on the River Tana. 
They were killed during an attack by one of the raiding war parties 
which liad penetrated Eastward from Masai Land. 



376 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

first dawn the elders came to my tent. We were hardly- 
seated, when about twenty of Mbaruk's soldiers marched 
up to my tent in a very imperious manner, and demand- 
ed why I was there. Imperious not so much to me as 
to the Fulladoyo people, who I thought would have fired 
upon them there and then. However, I sent a message 
by them to Mbaruk, saying I wished to see him." At 
the interview that followed, Mbaruk sought the Bishop's 
advice, confided to him that he was weary of his present 
lawless life, and wished to make peace with the Sultan. 
By the advice of the Bishop, he then and there wrote to 
the Consul. Negotiations have since been going on, 
which it is hoped may terminate in putting an end to 
the brigandage of this robber band. Bishop Hanning- 
ton, ever on the alert to seize an advantage for the 
Church, saw here an opportunity which he did not lose, 
but made every arrangement to occupy Fulladoyo as 
soon as Mbaruk should have evacuated it. The large 
colony of escaped slaves had, many of them, been for a 
short time under the influence of David Abe Sidi,* a 
native Catechist, now dead, and would have welcomed a 
teacher. The Bishop says : " They still observe the Sab- 
bath, and, for the most part, have only one wife." 

" May 2nd. — Again walked thirty miles with perfect 
ease ; not even tired at the end of it. Since March, I 
have walked about six hundred miles. To Him be the 
glory ! Amen ! " 

On May the 13th the examination of catechists re- 
ferred to in a former letter was held with a view to their 
being licensed as lay-preachers ; and, on the last day of 



* David Abe Sidi founded the colony of Fulladoyo. When war 
was made against his little flock of escaped slaves, he threw in his 
lot with them, and perished in 1883. 



^Et. 37.] Ordination of Native Cat 'ec hist 's. 377 

the month, which was Trinity Sunday, there was an Or- 
dination at Frere Town, when the first two natives of 
East Africa, in connection with the C. M. S., were ad- 
mitted to the Diaconate. These were William Jones 
and Ishmael Michael Semler, both of them rescued 
slaves, and men who had given for many years abundant 
proof of sincerity and zeal, and seemed to possess con- 
siderable spiritual gifts. The Bishop says : " Their ex- 
amination, which also included D. Rosengrave, another 
native Catechist (a freed slave of 1875), was conducted 
by my Chaplain, and not only satisfied us, but surprised 
and rejoiced our hearts. Commencing on Thursday, we 
had every morning and evening special seasons set apart 
for prayer, and I then gave them brief charges on Chris- 
tian life and the ministerial office. We all felt these 
seasons to be times of great spiritual refreshment." 

The Rev. W. E. Taylor, B.A., was also admitted to 
Priest's Orders. 

On Sunday, they assembled at Mr. Handford's for 
prayer, and then proceeded to the church. As the pro- 
cession entered the building, the great congregation 
stood up and burst forth into the strains of that tri- 
umphant battle-hymn, " Onward, Christian soldiers ! " — 
and the church throbbed to the pulsations of Sullivan's 
martial tune, raised by hundreds of full-voiced natives, 
Christians and Catechumens, whose dark upturned 
faces glowed with suppressed excitement. Mr. Hand- 
ford preached in Kiswahili, from Matt. xiii. 52, and the 
well-known Ordination Service proceeded ; after which 
fifty-seven communicants knelt before the Table of the 
Lord. There were, it is true, some things in the conduct 
of public worship at Frere Town which did not com- 
mend themselves to the Bishop. [His diary of the Sun- 
day previous to the Ordination has the following : " I 



378 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

have constantly to regret the dissenterish kind of Ser- 
vices they have here. A style of Service that has been 
handed down, I should think, from Rebmann. Why 
don't I have it altered ? Wait a bit ! "] But when he 
discerned the presence of the Divine Spirit, he could 
pardon many a minor detail ; and on that day the power 
of the Holy Ghost seemed to descend upon the people. 
All felt that One was present to bless. In the afternoon 
the Bishop preached from a favorite text of his, from 
which he was never tired of drawing inexhaustible stores 
of Christ-lore : " This is My beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased." " I can hardly tell you," he writes, " how 
greatly privileged I feel in thus having been permitted 
to ordain the first native ministers of our infant East 
African Church. The foundations of a native ministry 
have now been laid. I call most earnestly upon all the 
children of God to pray for these men, that they may be 
kept humble and zealous workers in God's vineyard, 
and that they may be made winners of souls." 

On the first of June Bishop Hannington sailed in the 
Henry Wright to Zanzibar, to make preparations for a 
second journey to Chagga, where he proposed to estab- 
lish Mr. Wray and Mr. Fitch, and to found a Station at 
Moschi. He had many interviews with Sir John Kirk, 
Consul Smith, and others, who all, together with the 
Sultan, were entirely in favor of his proposed expedition 
to the Lake through Masai Land. He left no stone un- 
turned to gather up every possible scrap of information 
on the subject, and read with care all that Mr. Thomson 
has said in his remarkable book. The result was that 
he was more than ever confirmed in his opinion that this 
route ought to prove immensely superior in almost every 
respect to the old route through Uyui. 

Nine days were spent in this manner, and in gathering 






JEt. 37.] Modified Views upon Church Order. 379 

together materials for the march to Chagga, and for 
the needs of the new Station to be opened at Mandara's 
capital. 

His journal has the following entry on Sunday, the 
7th : " Went with Fitch and Price to Early Communion 
in the Cathedral. I suppose we ought to have been 
shocked, but were not." 

It will be perceived from the above and some previous 
entries, that Hannington's views upon Church order and 
outward forms of worship had undergone some slight 
modification since the early days of his ministry. A 
wider acquaintance with men and things had softened 
his prejudices and somewhat unbent his anti-ritualistic 
bow. He had never at any time been inclined to quar- 
rel over the " non-necessaria," and was now less disposed 
than ever to adopt the repellant attitude of one who is 
always looking for something with which to find fault. 
He had seen and noted the dangers that lurk behind 
both excessive attention to ritual and its neglect ; but 
he had learned to look within the shell of things, and 
had discovered that spirituality and fidelity may equally 
characterize men who commit either of these mistakes. 
As we have said before, when he thought that he dis- 
cerned the Blessing of the Divine Spirit resting upon 
men and their deeds, he was not nervously apprehensive 
about sanctioning by his co-operation their modes and 
their methods. Even in his early days at Hurst, when a 
reaction from excessive formality had swung him to the 
opposite extreme, we have seen that he was as willing 
to preach in " one of the highest " churches in Brighton 
as in the lowest. And now, after some experience of 
both mistakes, he was rather inclined to avoid them 
himself than to be hypercritical of those who had not 
yet attained to the golden mean. 



380 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

He thus journals the remainder of this Sunday : 
" Breakfast with the Bp. ... 10 a.m., Swahili Service ; 
their singing does not nearly come up to ours.* 3.30, 
tea at the Univ. Mission. 4.30, preached in the Cathe- 
dral from the Transfiguration. I preached from the 
steps, and was in great liberty." 

Shortly after this he returned to Frere Town, and on 
June 13th we find him holding his first African Con- 
firmation. The Service was at 6.30 a.m. Thirty-three 
candidates assembled in the early grey of the morning, 
almost all grown men and women. He writes : "Many 
of them appear to be simple-minded, quiet Christians, 
desirous of anything that will bring them nearer to 
Christ." 

At the celebration of the Holy Communion which fol- 
lowed, seventy, in • the recently confirmed, com- 
municated. 

The same day at neon a special meeting was sum- 
moned, and the Bishop and his party were dismissed 
with prayer for their second journey into the vast interior. 

At Rabai a halt was called, and Sunday, the 14th, was 
spent at the Mission. Bishop Hannington writes : 

" To-day I held my second Ordination in East Africa ; 
the Rev. J. C. Price, the missionary at Mpwapwa, was 
ordained priest. The Rev. W. E. Taylor preached the 
sermon, and Jones also assisted me. We took the whole 
in Kiswahili. It was a very primitive Service. We were 
unavoidably a surplice short, so we had to dress Taylor 
up in a sheet and a few other oddments ! Nevertheless 
the Service was impressive, and I was glad that the 
Rabai congregation should have an opportunity of wit- 

* Comp. what is said on p. 297 about the singing in this part of 
Africa. 



^Et. 37.] The Duruma Country. 381 

nessing the solemn setting apart of one for the office of 
presbyter." 

The next day, after early Service, the party for the in- 
terior made a great effort to start, but failing to secure 
sufficient porters, they were obliged to remain and re- 
pack many of their loads. By leaving behind all their 
comforts, and many even of their barest necessaries, 
they were able to leave Rabai on Tuesday, the 16th. 
Hannington writes to his brother : " I never travelled so 
short before, nor — to be self-righteous — do I think that 
many would consent to do the like." 

The Christians assembled for prayer. God's blessing 
was invoked and they were off. The route to Taita has 
already been described, and there was little to distinguish 
this march from that undertaken upon the former occa- 
sion. The only special incident that calls for mention 
is that the caravan narrowly escaped an encounter with 
a war party of Masai. These redoubtable warriors and 
inveterate raiders are the terror of the whole country 
over an area of many hundreds of miles. The young 
braves penetrate in every direction, seeking pastures new 
from which to uplift cattle and drive them to their distant 
kraals. The Duruma country is literally devastated by 
the Masai spear. The wretched inhabitants are driven 
to hide themselves in thorny tangles of impenetrable 
jungle in order to retain anything of their belongings. 
Mr. Thomson describes one spot not much more than a 
day's march from Rabai, where the ground for a long 
distance was "literally strewed with skulls," the scene 
of a battle with a Masai band. 

It is of a place not far from here that Bishop Han- 
nington writes : " The good Hand of God was markedly 
with us. Had it not been for what we naturally called 



382 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

the disappointments of the road, we should have fallen 
in with these dread warriors on the war trail. They 
passed our camp yesterday, and killed a man close at 
hand. I expected that the men would have been rather 
panic-stricken by the report, but no, they took the mat- 
ter very sensibly." 

General Matthews, the Sultan's commander-in-chief, 
was now at Chagga, the Sultan having acceded to 
Mandara's request that he should extend to him his 
protection, and fly his flag over Moschi. He and his de- 
tachment had had trouble in crossing the desert-furnace 
between Taro and Maungu, and reached the wells of the 
latter place "in a state of perfect exhaustion." The 
Bishop, however, got his men over the "terrible plain " 
on this occasion without any special difficulty, beyond, 
of course, the great fatigue of all, ^nd reached Taita on 
the 22d, or six days after the start. The little company 
of Wa-Taita on Ndara was still further reduced in num- 
ber, and all the paths up the mountain were overgrown 
with thorns and vegetable rankness. The caravan had 
literally to cut its way through the tangle of spiked 
grasses and jungle which barred all upward progress. 

When here — finding that Jumba Kimameta* had left 
Taveta — Bishop Hannington came to the conclusion that 
he would not himself proceed to Chagga, but that he 
would send Mr. Wray and Mr. Fitch forward to occupy 
that station, and return at once to the coast to prepare 
for his great journey northward to the Lake. 

He had already carefully selected sites both at Moschi 
and other places where Stations might possibly be 



* An Arab trader who had greatly assisted Mr. Thomson, and 
whom Hannington desired to consult with regard to his journey 
over the same route. 






Mt. 37.] A Remarkable Exploit. 383 

founded; he had made every arrangement for the re- 
ception of his representatives by Mandara, and had ne- 
gotiated for the same end with other princelets of the 
mountain. Having laid his train to the best of his 
ability and sought the blessing of God upon it, he 
thought that he would be better employed in hastening 
forward the new expedition than in renewing his ac- 
quaintance with Kilima-njaro. He, therefore, deter- 
mined to deny himself that pleasure, and to return 
without delay to Frere Town. 

His return march was a very remarkable exploit, and 
notably worthy of being chronicled. Two years previ- 
ously Mr. Thomson had made a forced march over the 
same ground. He says : " Leaving Ndara we per- 
formed a pedestrian feat which probably has never been 
equalled in the annals of African travelling." Making 
a great effort, he covered the distance between Taveta 
and Rabai at the rate of 34 miles a day. This great 
achievement has been since rivalled by Bishop Han- 
nington, who walked from Ndara to Rabai at the extra- 
ordinary rate of 40 miles a day. The distance, esti- 
mated to be 120 miles, was accomplished by him in 
exactly three days and half an hour ! 

But we must let him describe his own adventures. 

" On June 24th, the first anniversary of my Consecra- 
tion, I started homeward from Taita with a handful of 
men and just the bare necessaries of life, leaving behind 
tent, bed, bath, in fact every single thing I could do 
without.* Is this setting out typical of what the second 

* He did not wish to diminish the stores of the caravan bound 
for Chagga more than was absolutely necessary, and so took with 
him the barest provisions for his journey. The object of this hot 
haste homeward was to catch the Henry Wright before she started 
for Zanzibar, and so save some weeks of time. 



334 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

year of my episcopal pilgrimage is to be ? I could re- 
joice if it is, if only the Lord continues to manifest His 
guiding and protecting care as He has done all through 
this journey ! 

" We met together and knelt in prayer, and then I had 
literally to run out of the place at 7 a.m., for I was be- 
sieged with requests and questions from the porters 
whom I had left to go forward. My feet had got pain- 
fully blistered on the way up, and this was not a pleas- 
ant prospect in view of the rapid return I hoped to make. 
However, we had the donkey as a last resource, and I 
found that after walking a short distance the pain much 
decreased. My donkey, I may as well say, here as else- 
where proved of but little personal use to me, for some 
of the men got blisters or thorns, so they had to ride to 
get them along at all. The first day, in spite of its be- 
ing cloudless and terribly hot, I covered thirty-five miles, 
and laid me down to rest on the lap of mother-earth. 
But oh, she is hard and ungiving to weary bones ! 

"The next day walked another thirty-five miles. I 
had the unusual good fortune to kill five guinea-fowl at 
one shot, and that, too, in the midst of our worst desert 
track, so we had a good meal. Toward the end of this 
day's march I felt desperately weary, but we continued 
till 8 p.m., stumbling along and hurting our feet sadly 
over the rough ground. But it was well : it had the 
effect of making the ground feel softer than the night 
before. Then I .found it hard sleeping without a bed ; 
this evening I was far too tired to think about it at all, 
and, in spite of a heavy shower of rain, soon fell asleep. 

"June 26th. — Off at daylight. On and still onwards ; 
arrived at Samburu without difficulty, but the men now 
began to show signs of great weariness. Seventy miles 
in the last two days had told upon them, although they 



JEt. 37.] A Weird March. 385 

were carrying next to nothing, and the guinea-fowls had 
been a great addition to their food. When we entered 
a camp at 10.30 a.m., though some were more than will- 
ing to march a little farther, I felt it to be really unkind 
to ask them to do so, and therefore said that I would 
leave them to rest awhile, and march on alone to the 
coast. Two, however, volunteered to accompany me, 
and also a third, with a big heart but poor feet, whom I 
did not accept. It was well that I declined him, as one 
of the others had to ride the donkey for a time. I put 
the last two biscuits, some dates, and a little cheese into 
a box, and giving the men some heads of Indian corn, 
away we went. But we were not to starve, for another 
guinea-fowl fell to my gun, and when we halted at 7 p.m., 
we cooked it in the hot ashes. One of the men cut off 
the breast and handed it to me in his fingers, all burnt 
and covered with ashes as it was, and I ate it in my 
fingers — and was it not delicious ! Then I knelt down 
and thanked God for His mercies, and, creeping into a 
little grass hut, lay down between the two men and 
rested for a couple of hours. I couldn't sleep because I 
had made my coffee myself, and had made it too strong. 
Then we shook ourselves together and started again, on 
through the night. It was a weird march. The roar 
of a lion made the ground shake with its tremendous 
thunder ; and once or twice we checked at the cry of a 
night-bird, as we neared the war-paths of Masai, whom, 
with our small party of three, we had not the slightest 
inclination to encounter. Presently the dew began to 
fall, and I was soon wet through, so, as we reached the 
sixth camping-place at about 4.30 a.m., we halted and 
lighted a large fire, at which the men dried my clothes, 
while I wrapped myself in my mackintosh. 

" We were now all very tired : the donkey, too, which, 
17 



386 James Hannington, [A.D. 1885. 

I had been reserving for an emergency, showed signs of 
fatigue. However, apologizing tenderly to him, I told 
him that I really must have a short ride. Then followed 
a heavy shower of rain, which made the ground slippery, 
and the donkey and I rolled over together more than 
once. But we were now close to Rabai, and in a few 
minutes were welcomed by our astonished friends, who 
thought that I was safe at Chagga — 120 miles in three 
days and half an hour ! I did not stay there, as I heard 
important news about Mbaruk, which required instant 
attention ; so, after a bath, a meal, and a nap, I walked 
another five miles to the boat, and a row of three hours 
brought me safe and sound to Frere Town. 

" Everybody was amazed to see me. However, the ob- 
ject of my journey appears after all to have been defeat- 
ed, as the Henry Wright left for Zanzibar two days ago." 

This was enough, surely, to have tried the patience of 
the most stoic of mortals. The immense effort of the 
last three days had been wholly frustrated by an unex- 
pectedly early start of the little Mission steamer. He 
seemed doomed to lose some weeks of time, and to re- 
main gnawing his nails at Frere Town when his caravan 
should already be a-preparing at Zanzibar. But, he 
writes : 

" I refused to be disappointed, feeling sure that all 
would come right, and, indeed, I am being taught never 
to be disappointed, but to Praise ; and now H. M. S. 
corvette Kingfisher most unexpectedly steamed into the 
harbor, and the captain offered me a passage. It is 
wonderful how God has appeared for me over and over 
again, and wonderful, too, what health and strength I 
have had. If all goes well, I ought to be off in three 
weeks' time for Masai Land." 



JEt. 37.] 



Letter to his Children. 



387 



The Kingfisher was upon an expedition after some 
slave dhows reported to be in the neighborhood, and as 
she touched at Zanzibar, the captain most courteously 
placed a cabin at the Bishop's disposal. 

The last entry in the June monthly diary is : " Hope 
we shall catch some prizes." 

"Writing, writing, writing"; so begins the diary of 
the voyage. Whatever spare time he had was filled up 
with his now voluminous correspondence. As one of 
our English Bishops is said to have written most of his 
letters upon his knee in railway carriages, so Bishop 
Hannington wrote many of his in his travelling tent, or 
bivouacking by the light of a camp-fire, or on board the 
steamers which bore him back and forth between Mom- 
basa and Zanzibar. 

In the midst of his official correspondence he found 
time for not infrequent letters to the wee ones at home. 
The following is an example, with fac-similes of the 
pen-and-ink sketches with which such letters were gen- 
erally embellished : 



" My dearest Children, — .... I w r as obliged to 
walk for a long distance through a Mangrove swamp. 
Mangrove trees are very 
curious ; they let down 
from their stems and 
branches many roots, which 
bind them to the soft, black 
mud, and keep them from 
being washed away by the 
tide; for they always grow 
in the salt-water creeks 

within reach of the tide. On their roots hang a great 
many oysters. In these parts we almost always have 




338 



James Hannington. 



[A.D. 1885. 



our doors and windows wide open, so a great many dif- 
ferent insects come flying into the rooms. There are 
some black hornets that come and make nests of earth on 
the beams. They do not sting one, or do any harm be- 
yond making a little dust, which is easily cleared away. 

They kill a great many 
caterpillars and other in- 
sects with which to feed 
their young, holding them 
in this fashion. I rather 
fancy that they sting the 
caterpillars first of all, 
and make them insensible. 
I hope that you have all been very good and obedient 
to your mother, and that God has blessed you with 
much happiness. I think a great deal of you, and am 
always happy to know that my dear little pets pray for 
their father who is so many miles away. God is love, 
and watches over us, although we are absent from one 
another. Love and kisses to your dearest Mother. 
" I remain, sweet children, your very affectionate 

" Father." 




We may here let the Bishop give some of the reasons 
which induced him to make this perilous journey through 
a land known to be occupied by the most lawless of 
savages, and which had only once been entered by a 
European, and by him traversed for only part of the 
way. 

We have seen that he was, very soon after his arrival 
at Frere Town, struck with the immense superiority of 
the new route into the interior, from a health point of 
view, over the old route. This opinion was confirmed 
by his journey to Mount Kilima-njaro. He was over- 



/Et. 37.] New Route to U-Ganda. 389 

joyed to find that none of the terrors which haunted the 
footsteps of the traveller upon the lower road — rheu- 
matic and malarial fevers and dysentery — which ren- 
dered courage, strength, and determination almost nu- 
gatory, were to be feared upon these high uplands. Mr. 
Thomson had shown that the same healthy highland 
country continued northward and westward as far as he 
had penetrated. His active mind at once grasped the 
idea that if one had the courage to open up this new 
route to U-Ganda, and secure the friendly co-operation 
of the natives, others might easily follow; and, the way 
once made, a large saving would in future be effected 
both in time and expense, and, above all, in valuable 
lives. Anybody can see, by a glance at the map, the 
advantage of the northerly route to U-Ganda in point 
of directness ; and those who have read the account 
given in this book of the Bishop's first journey to the 
south end of the Lake, with its weary record of sickness 
and suffering and death, and will compare it with Mr. 
Thomson's account of his healthy journey to Kavirondo,* 
cannot but feel with the Bishop that it was worth 
while to risk something to secure so great an advan- 
tage. Added to this was the prospect, never absent 
from Hannington's heart, that a new tract of country, 
occupied by a singularly noble, if exceptionally fero- 
cious, race of men, might be brought under the shadow 
of the Cross. 

As early as April 21st he wrote to Mr. Wigram with 
regard to this journey to Chagga: " The country through 
which we have passed is extraordinarily healthy, as far 

* Mr. Thomson's sickness upon his return journey was occasioned 
apparently by over-fatigue at Lake Baringo, following upon a severe 
accident, rather than by any fault of the climate. 



390 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885 

as we can judge from our own experience, that of other 
travellers, and the nature of the soil. There are long, 
dry, waterless tracts which are difficult — but not so 
much so as the Wa-Nyamuezi deserts which have to be 
encountered on this side of Uyui — and the worst of these 
tracts is met with on this side of Taita." 

He then continues: "With regard to my journey to 
the Lake across the dreaded land of the Masai. When 
up the country, I made all the inquiry that I could with 
regard to it, and, from what I hear, the difficulties are 
not so great as we have been led to imagine. The first 
question which would suggest itself to an ordinary mind 
is, Why take such a journey when the other road is well 
known ? The answer would be : First, the old route is 
beset by special difficulties of its own. The first month's 
journey lies along a most unhealthy track ; then suc- 
ceeds the inhospitable region of U-Gogo; then the long, 
dangerous deserts of U-Nyamuezi ; then, after leaving 
Uyui, there is always great doubt as to which road to 
the Lake will be open ; and lastly, there are the two 
hundred miles of water, with the difficulty about obtain- 
ing canoes. Stokes' caravan was, as you know, attacked 
by robbers, and several men were killed ; and how 
many caravans have reached U-Ganda in anything like 
entirety ? 

"The new road, on the other hand, is, as we have 
every reason to believe, perfectly healthy. With its 
desert tracts we are already well acquainted, as they lie 
early in the journey. It should be, moreover, at least 
six weeks shorter in point of time. Its almost only danger 
is the Masai ; and I have learnt that Swahili caravans of 
all sizes are constantly passing and repassing without 
incurring much greater risks than elsewhere. 

" Now compare the losses, trials, expenses, and dan* 



&t- 37-1 " To tlw Lake I must Go" 391 

gers of Wilson's party with those of Thomson's across 
the Masai. If Thomson's route, as he affirms, will not 
be open for fifty years, Wilson's * ought not to have been 
opened for a hundred ! 

" Seco7idly. If this route be opened up, our work will 
be much more centralized. We could then work all our 
caravans from Frere Town and Rabai. We could thus 
give regular employment to many of our Christian men, 
and we could keep a well-trained staff of responsible 
headmen. 

" The present Station at the south end of the Lake 
might then be transferred to Kavirondo. Uyui might 
be taken charge of by a neighboring Mission, and 
Mpwapwa and Mamboia treated as branch Missions. 

" If this route is to be opened, I can see no one but 
myself at present to do it. To the Lake I must go, and 
I somewhat dread the old route of illness and misery. 

" There is the question of hongo to be considered, and 
there will undoubtedly be a large hongo to pay. But I 
believe that the shortness of the journey will far more 
than compensate for this." 

Later. " I have just had an interview with Sir John 
Kirk ; he is anxious that we should advance, and leans 
strongly to the new road." 

The following was written to the Committee of the 
C. M. S. on May 7th : 

" Gentlemen, — I hear that my first letter concerning 
the journey across the Masai country was not sent via 
the Cape, and therefore should reach you at the same 

* The Rev. C. T. Wilson, B.A., whose party reached U-Ganda 
in 1877 by the route already described. On this journey Dr. Smith 
died and Mr. Mackay was for some time incapacitated by sickness. 



39 2 James Hannington. [A.D. 1S05 

time as Jthis. In the interval matters have been devel- 
oping. I have had more time for counsel and consider- 
ation, and now I want you to listen to me. 

" I appeal most earnestly to you, to my Commissaries, 
and to all friends of Africa, to stand by me in an effort 
which I feel ought to be made to open up the country 
for the Gospel of Christ Jesus. I want ^1,000 to relieve 
you from any extra burden which might arise from the 
journey ; and I am sure that, even in these troublous 
times, it will be forthcoming, and yet more, if necessary. 

" The serious part of the matter is this : I am ventur- 
ing to take the responsibility of the action on myself, so 
that before this letter reaches you I shall, unless our 
loving Father directs differently, be on the road. I hope 
I may be able to satisfy you that this course is not so 
blameworthy as it appears at first sight. I have taken 
counsel with all possible on the subject, and the feeling 
of all, without exception, is Go, for the time seems come 
to make the attempt. 

" We have weighed the matter here over and over 
again. I have had a long interview with Sir John Kirk 
and Mr. Wakefield, whose lengthened experience of 
Africa makes them most valuable counsellors ; also 
with Jumba Kimameta, who so staunchly supported and 
helped Thomson ; with the Vice-Consul ; and last night 
the V.-C. and I were closeted with Martin (who accom- 
panied Mr. Thomson) for three hours ; and Martin says, 
Go. Again, William Jones strongly feels that the time 
has come ; and further, the Sultan's expedition under 
General Matthews to Kilima-njaro seems, as far as I can 
tell, to be further opening up the way. 

"And now let me explain why I have not waited for 
your opinion. The reason is this. June is the best 
month for travel. Ramadan begins on the 14th, and, as 



JEt. 37.] Jumbo, Kimameta. 393 

soon as it is finished, the Swahili caravan, under Jumba 
Kimameta, will start. To this caravan I want to attach 
myself. It is, in fact, then or never, as regards this year. 

"I hope, almost immediately after the Ordination 
which should take place on Trinity Sunday, May 31st, 
to start, and take with me Mr. Taylor and Mr. Fitch, 
and at Taita to pick up Mr. Wray, whom I hope to set- 
tle at Chagga. I want then to join Jumba Kimameta's* 
large caravan, and in his company, with Mr. Taylor, to 
proceed to Naivasha, and probably thence to Sendege, 
in Lower Kavirondo. As to future policy, I look forward 
with longing eyes to a Station in the heart of the Masai 
country, at Ngongo a Bagas, at the foot of Mount 
Lamuyu, and to another in Kavirondo ; but for this we 
are not yet ripe. 

" I am afraid you will repent you of your Bishop, or 
at least wish that you had clipped one of his wings and 
shod his feet with leaden soles ; but I say, while I have 
health and strength, let me spend it in this work. May 
I therefore crave even more energy and more prayer on 
our behalf at Home ? " 

Again, in a letter to Mr. Wigram, on May 12th : 

" My hope is to catch Jumba, and a delay even for a 
telegram might set all this wrong. With regard to 

* After consideration, Bishop Hannington resolved to traved in- 
dependently of Jumba. That noted trader has acquired his influ- 
ence over the Masai by laying claim to the possession of magical 
powers, and practices rites in which no Christian teacher could par- 
ticipate, yet which his very presence in the caravan must appear to 
sanction. Rather than avail himself of such dubious assistance, 
and perhaps, thereby, hamper all his after-work, the Bishop deter- 
mined to do without Jumba's co-operation; As the event showed, 
he was quite able to pass through the Masai unaided, and on be- 
yond Kavirondo Jumba's name would have availed nothing. 
17* 



394 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

expense, I hope that this journey may really cost less 
than by the other way. If I open the road, we shall 
save thousands of pounds in the end. This time it is 
possible I may incur large extras. I calculate that if I 
go round by the old road, I cannot do with less than a 
hundred or more men with their cloth, to take me up 
and down, and enable me to remain a season in U-Ganda; 
and whoever is located in U-Ganda would require as 
many. Thomson's expenditure was, I know, enormous ; 
but then his journey took eighteen months, and his ex- 
pedition was much more elaborately fitted out than mine 
will be. If the friends of Africa will give me ^"1,000, I 
believe that the C. M. S. will be saved money by the ex- 
pedition." 

It will be seen from the above extracts that the only 
serious danger of which the Bishop had any apprehen- 
sion was from the Masai. It never entered into his head 
to suppose that his entry into U-Ganda from the North- 
east would be opposed. He was not aware of the alarm 
which existed in the minds of the tribes of Central Africa 
with regard to a European invasion. He did not know 
that the chiefs were busily instilling into their young 
King Mwanga the duty of repelling any attempt of white 
men to enter his kingdom by the " backdoor " of Kavi- 
rondo. Nor could he suppose that the report of German 
annexations had reached the far interior, and excited the 
people to the verge of panic. For such difficulties as he 
foresaw he made proper preparations, and, as he had an- 
ticipated, he overcame them successfully, and arrived 
without disaster at what he had always considered to be 
the end of the perilous part of his journey — the frontier 
of U-Ganda. 

No one, then, can justly accuse him of rashness. His 



JEt. 37.] Success of his Plans. 395 

plans were laid with prudence and forethought. They 
were carried out with boldness and decision. They 
were completely successful. The blow which struck him 
down was wholly unexpected. It was as though a bolt 
had fallen from a clear sky. For the final disaster it 
would, therefore, in presence of the heroic dead, not 
only be ungracious, but unjust, to hold the Bishop re- 
sponsible. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE LAST JOURNEY. 
(1885. JULY OCTOBER.) 

" Can you face this Olympic contest ? Are your thews and 
sinews strong enough ? Can you face the fact that those who are 
defeated are also disgraced and whipped ? " Epictetus. 

" He begrudgeth not to get a probability of victory by the cer- 
tainty of his own death ; and flieth from nothing so much as from 
the mention of flying. And though some say, He is a madman, 
.... our soldier knows that he shall possess the reward of his 
valor with God in heaven, and also, making the world his executor, 
leave to it the rich inheritance of his memory." 

Fuller (" The Good Soldier"). 

The next three weeks were spent partly in Zanzibar 
and partly in Frere Town, in hastening forward prepara- 
tions for the great journey. We have already attempted 
to give some idea of the amount of trouble entailed in 
the organization of a caravan. Added to the endless 
work and worry which falls to the lot of every traveller 
into the interior, was the dread which the porters enter- 
tained of entering the country of the Masai, Both 
Thomson and Hannington have proved that the turbu- 
lent and troublesome El-Moran can be dealt with by a 
white man without much greater risk than other savages; 
but the terror of them lies like a nightmare upon the 
minds of their own countrymen. These truculent young 
blood-shedders and cattle-lifters have as fiendish a repu- 
tation throughout Northeast Africa as even such blus- 
trous swaggerers could desire. To go to Masai Land 
(396) 



JEt. 37.] Preparations for the Journey. 397 

is, in the opinion of the Zanzibari, like going into a sort 
of Inferno — " All hope abandon, ye who enter here." 

Bishop Hannington, however, by dint of patience and 
tact, succeeded in getting together about two hundred 
porters, some for Chagga, some to accompany him to 
Kavirondo, and of whom he says, " They were a very 
nice lot of men." Many of them, poor fellows, shared 
his fate, and met their death far away from their homes 
— but it was not at the hands of the dreaded Masai. 

Mr. Copplestone, who joined his Bishop at Zanzibar, 
and accompanied him back to Frere Town, writes to me: 

" On my arrival at Zanzibar there were letters await- 
ing me from the Bishop, asking me if I would join him 
in his journey to U-Ganda, but failing health prevented 
my accepting his proposal. We thought then that he 
was at Chagga, but, quite unexpectedly, while I was 
thinking over the contents of his letter, he turned up. 
We then discussed the whole question, and he appointed 
me to Chagga to assist in the formation of the new 
Station. We had many conversations with regard to his 
proposed journey, and eventually he decided to travel 
aIo?ie, so that if he got into any difficulty or trouble he 
would not involve any of his friends in the result — so 
utterly unselfish was he. We then left together for Frere 
Town, having settled that I should return to Zanzibar 
in about ten days and bring up the porters. 

"When, however, the day came for me to go for the 
porters and make final arrangements about the caravan, 
he decided to accompany me. 

"On our way back to Frere Town I had another 
manifestation of his love and sympathy, which also re- 
vealed to me that he felt some anxiety with regard to 
his journey. We were on board the Henry Wright in 



398 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

the Pemba channel ; the night was dark and stormy. 
The Bishop was lying on a seat in the saloon, and I was 
reading the 146th Psalm. The Bishop was silent and 
preoccupied. I read to him a few verses of the psalm. 
When I came to the 9th verse, ' The Lord preserveth the 
strangers,' the Bishop suddenly exclaimed with evident 
relief, ' Praise God ; He has sent me His message to- 
night. The Lord preserveth the strangers. My poor men 
are strangers, but the Lord preserveth them.' The verse 
came like a direct message from God, and a relief from 
the anxiety which was in that hour weighing upon him." 

Such a reminiscence is priceless. It reveals the man. 
How many travellers are there who, upon the eve of an 
eventful journey, upon which hang great results affect- 
ing both themselves and the cause which they have at 
heart, would let the fate of their bearers, the human 
beasts of burden who are to carry their loads, weigh 
upon their minds ? Had he been an ambitious man, his 
thoughts at that moment would have been quite else- 
where. Had he been a mere Ecclesiastic, a man of one 
idea, the Promoter of a great Cause, he would not have 
thought hundreds of such lives too dear a price to pay 
for the attainment of his Object. But in this man we 
recognize something higher. He had evidently drunk 
deeply of the spirit of Him of whom we hear again and 
again in his letters as "our loving Father," without 
whom " not a sparrow falls to the ground." As Mr. 
Copplestone well says: "Applied to him, the words of 
the Apostle are singularly fitting, 'Besides all these things 
that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the CARE 
of all the Churches' " 

As Mr. Copplestone refers to the fact that he had not 
seen his way to accept the Bishop's proposal to ac- 



Mt. 37.] His Unceasmg Work. 399 

company him to Kavirondo — as, indeed, his health, 
barely restored after a prolonged residence at Uyui, 
scarcely warranted that he should — I may quote here a 
passage from a letter, written shortly before, to Mrs. 
Hannington, in which the Bishop mentions the subject. 
He says : " I am now beginning to wonder what Copple- 
stone will do : whether he will accompany me or go by 
the other road; he will have had time to think it over by 
the day I arrive at Zanzibar. It will be a great comfort 
to you to think of him as with me, but my feeling is that 
I would rather be alone, as the anxiety is rather increased 
than otherwise by another man, however good he may 
be. I feel this — that another man could add nothing to 
my safety. In Jesus' keeping I a?n safe. And so, if you 
hear that Brother C. takes the other road — well and 
good ; it will be a race between us as to who will get up 
first." 

As we have seen, the Bishop, after talking the matter 
over with Mr. Copplestone, resolved to place him at 
Chagga, instead of in U-Ganda ; but eventually, his 
health again broke down, and he returned to England. 

The strain of this unceasing work was beginning to 
tell upon Hannington, but he did not allow himself to 
bend for a single instant, lest he should collapse into 
ruins. His great spirit kept him up. He wrote to Mr. 
Wigram from Zanzibar : 

" Mandara (I have had letters) turns out a little trouble- 
some, but it is not more than I expected, so you must 
not be discouraged, but believe that we shall leave no 
stone unturned to make matters succeed. Mine is an 
intensely arduous and anxious post. I long to be in 
telegraphic communication with you, but suppose it to 
be impossible. I greatly need your prayers and all the 



400 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

support you can give me ; otherwise I shall Well, 

never mind, I must succeed somehow or other, the Lord 
being my helper." 

He writes to his wife in much the same strain : 

"Work, work, work. I am nearly driven to death. I 
have been very much overdone, and was as near as pos- 
sible to a break-down yesterday ; but to-day I am re- 
vived, and am able to send an excellent account of 
myself. I was delighted to think that you can trust me 
in His hands, who has hitherto led me by the way." 

On Thursday, July 23d, the Bishop led the way out 
of Rabai at the head of a caravan two hundred strong — 
an army of peace, yet marching to the "pulling down of 
strongholds." The usual caravan troubles, of course, 
fell upon him during the first few marches from the coast. 
Many of the porters enlist merely for the sake of the 
earnest money, or advance wages which are given them 
before they start, and make up their minds to desert 
upon the first favorable opportunity. The closest watch 
has, therefore, to be kept upon them until they have got 
so far inland that retreat is more difficult for them than 
advance, when they may be trusted to proceed tractably 
enough. At first, too, being out of condition and lazy, 
they make every excuse to throw down their burdens 
and cast themselves prostrate under the shade of any 
available bush. Especially is it a formidable matter to 
get a large caravan of porters across the burning desert 
of Taro. The men have no idea of self-restraint, and 
drink up all the water intended to last them for two days 
in as many hours ; and then have to be driven, half 
dead with the thirst that consumes them, to the far 
distant wells. A caravan leader needs the arms of a 
Briareus, and the sleepless vigilance of an Argus, to 



<Et. 37.] The March to Taita. 401 

keep his men together during the early stages of a jour- 
ney into the interior. 

Hannington says : " Starvation, desertion, treachery, 
and a few other nightmares and furies, hover over our 
heads in ghostly forms." However, Mr. Jones, the 
newly-ordained native clergyman whom he had decided 
to take with him, proved a great help and comfort, 
taking out of his hand many of the lesser responsibili- 
ties of the management. And, for the rest, he did not 
let these things disturb the flow of his spirits. All the 
way during that march to Taita his letters reveal him 
to us, till we seem to see him as he strides ahead with 
that springy step of his. Arms swinging, eyes ever on 
the alert to notice anything new or remarkable — now a 
snatch of song, again a shout of encouragement — a leap 
upon some rare flower or insect — the very life and soul 
of his company; while ever and anon his emphatic voice 
would be raised in the notes of some old familiar tune, 
and the wilderness would ring to the sound of a Chris- 
tian hymn — 

" Peace, perfect peace, the future all unknown ; 
Jesus we know, and He is on the Throne." 

He writes to his wife from Maungu ; and the tone of 
this letter, which he had reason to think would be his 
last before he reached the end of his journey, is very 
touching to those who know how little he was given to 
"sentimentalizing " in his correspondence. " I have just 
finished forty-five miles, have cleared away the bushes 
and lighted a fire with my own hands. You must not 
be surprised if I am rather hazy. I have had scarcely 
any food for eighteen hours, and have not had a wash 
for two days, nor do I see much chance of getting more 
than a 'lick' for two days more. I am afraid, however, 



402 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

that hardships have not even commenced. God is just 
giving me a merciful rest after the terribly severe strain 
I have had to go through during the last twelve months." 
(His idea of a " rest " is pathetic.) " How gracious God 
has been in giving me so good a wife and such dear 
children and relatives ! " 

His reference, in the same letter, to the now near ap- 
proach of his separation from his colleagues and plunge 
into the unknown district is of much interest. " Every- 
thing I hear makes me think that the dangers of the 
road are greatly exaggerated. It is not the danger 
that I fear in the least, but the want of food, or a suffi- 
cient stock of beads, or something of that kind, which 
might turn us back. I have not been able to take as 
much as Thomson took, and he found that his store was 
soon exhausted. I am not, however, conscious yet of 
any neglect on my part, so I am content to leave the 
issue in His dear Hands." 

How correct was his judgment the result has clearly 
shown. His danger did not lie among the Masai. 

He continues : " I hope the dearest ones keep well — 
as well as their father ; then they will do." Then fol- 
lows reference to some friends who, he hopes, will for- 
give him for not writing to them, on the plea that his 
hands were very full of business. " I wonder if I delude 
myself in this respect. We sometimes fancy we are busy 
when we are only idle. I leave them to judge. God 
bless them all." (Such words need no comment — but 
they irresistibly recall to our minds the words of the 
Master, " Whe?i the fruit is ripe, immediately he putteth 
in the sickle, because the harvest is come.") "And now, 
fare thee well, for a time. You must scarcely venture to 
expect another letter for a month or two, but just leave 
me in His Hands." 



ALt. 37.] His Last Letter. 403 

A day or two later, however, he found another oppor- 
tunity of scribbling a few lines in pencil from Taita. " I 
am hoping," he says, " before long to advance to where 
I don't exactly know, but along Thomson's homeward 
route to Ndi and Ukambani. Food seems the great diffi- 
culty, as the country has not recovered from the famine." 

But even this was not to be the last letter. Another 

chance of getting a word home occurred at Kikumbuliu, 

and from there he sent his last lines both to his wife and 

to his friends the workers at Frere Town. To the former 

he writes : 

"Kikumbuliu, Aug. 11, 1885. 

My Dearest, — There is a remote chance of this reach- 
ing the coast. I have found a man who says that he is 
going before very long, so you may get it. The burden 
of my song must be Praise, and the teaching of every 
lesson has been Trust : so comfort your heart during my 
absence. But to the journey. We left Taita on Thurs- 
day, July 30th. We mistook the road a little, as far as 
I can make out, and kept too much to the east, camping 
on the banks of the Voi. The next day we had intense 
difficulty in forging through the bulrush-fringed banks, 
and again took a wrong road, which led us nearly 
due west, but it led after all in the right direction, and 
conducted us to Ndi (of Thomson), where we found 
plenty of food, and were able, without strain on our re- 
sources, to rest both Saturday and Sunday. Here we 
obtained a guide, but all to no purpose, for on Monday, 
Aug. 3rd, soon after starting we found ourselves lost 
over and over again. The fact is, that the famine has 
decimated the country and many of the roads have per- 
ished.* We got scattered as we forged our way through 

* The Rev. W. Jones says : " All is saddening. The Jimba of 



404 James Hanni7igton. [A.D. 1885. 

the dense jungle, so I took the lead, and climbing a tree 
got a survey of the country ; and so was able to strike 
for a mass of rock that formed a landmark. Finally, 
after firing guns to collect the stragglers, we found our- 
selves together at sunset, after a very fatiguing day for 
some of us. The men, fortunately, were not overtaxed, 
as they rested while we explored or broke through the 
jungle. On the next day, the 4th, we made our way as 
straight as we could across country, and arrived long 
before I had dared to hope at the river Tsavo. Here I 
was a little feverish, from over-anxiety and walking in a 
very hot sun through a forest more shadeless even than 
that of Taro. It is no small thing to lose yourself in a 
waterless desert. The Tsavo is broad and clear, and full 
of fish, some of which we caught. Here we struck the 
main U-Kamba road, which passes the southeast side of 
the Taita Hills, so all anxiety about getting lost again 
was at an end. 

"We were told here that we should not get any more 
water until the third day; but we had a cool day for our 
start, and the next day we quite unexpectedly reached a 
fine pool. This helped us along wonderfulty.* The 
next two nights we camped without water ; but on Sat- 
urday, Aug. 8th, we arrived at some villages of the Wa- 
Kamba. Here we learned that food was exceedingly 
short. Anxiety tried to press upon me ; but again the 
good Hand of our God was upon us, and we got enough 
to enable us to rest there over Sunday. Yesterday, 
Monday, the 10th, we reached a densely populous district 
(Thomson's Nosanga) where food was plentiful. An- 

1883 is not Jimba of 1885. All its beauty is gone. All its fine 
sugar-canes are gone. Its fields are turned into wild jungle. All 
is dreary and desolate." 

* Note in pocket-book : This pool " cannot be reckoned upon." 



/Et. 37.] Marching under Difficulties. 405 

other three days, and we should be at Ulu; there report 
says people are dying of famine : if this is so we shall 
have difficulty in getting through, and there seems to be 
no game of any sort to help out the men. My one fear 
is insufficiency of stuff. If I had been permitted to start 
with fifty men less I should have been more sanguine, 
but I can see less hope of retreat. So, with God's help, 
speedy advance must be the word. I am quite aware 
that this is the easy part of the journey, and that far 
greater difficulties from hongo-demanding natives are 
ahead, but if this is God's time for opening up this road, 
we shall open it up. 

" ' We are a little poor,' as Jones says. My watch has 
gone wrong. The candles and lamp-oil were forgotten 
and left behind, so that the camp fire has to serve in- 
stead. My donkey has died, so that I must walk every 
step of the way. Well ! Having no watch, I don't wake 
up in the night to see if it is time to get up, but wait 
till daylight dawns. Having no candle, I don't read at 
night, which never suits me. Having no donkey, I can 
judge better as to distances, and as to what the men 
can do; for many marches depend upon my saying, 'We 
^vill stop here and rest, or sleep.' 

" My greatest trial is that I have a very inefficient staff 
of headmen, and nobody with me who really knows the 
road. Of course, I was assured before we started that 
many whom I had engaged had been over the road 
again and again. One man was said to have been over 
it five times. 

"And now, just leave me in the Hands of the Lord, 
and let our watchword be, ' We will trust, and not be 
afraid.' 

" Many kisses. 

" Your most affectionate Husband, James." 



406 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

And here all correspondence ceases. His friends heard 
no more of him until that fatal telegram received from 
Zanzibar on New Year's Day, 1886 : 

" Bishop Hannington, who left Mombasa in June last, 
in order to find, if possible, a new road to the Victoria 
which will obviate the long detour by Unyanyembe, has 
been seized by order of the king, within two days' 
march of U-Ganda. The latest report is that the king 
has given secret orders to have the Bishop executed." 

Happily, his own tiny pocket diary, with its daily jot- 
tings, has been recovered by a Christian lad at Rubaga, 
who bought it from one of the band that murdered him. 
Happily, also, his native friend, the Rev. William Jones, 
who accompanied him as far as Kwa Sundu, kept a 
journal, which is now in my hands. From these two 
sources we are enabled to gather much of what oc- 
curred from day to day almost until the end. 

Mr. Jones' pencilled diary of the journey is full of in- 
teresting details. I wish that space permitted to quote 
from it more fully, but, as it is, many of the following 
extracts have been condensed. He has written, as a 
kind of title upon the fly-leaf, the words, " Behind my 
Bishop through Masai Land "; and the tone of the entire 
narrative abundantly testifies to his love and devotion 
to " his Bishop." A testimony, no doubt, to the worth 
of the man himself, about which all seem to agree ; but 
an additional evidence also of the strange attractive 
power which Hannington exercised over all who were 
brought into contact with him. When they were leaving 
Taita, one of the Wa-Zaramo boys who had been en- 
gaged to carry food for the caravan, and who were all 
paid off and discharged near Taita, insisted that he 
would follow the Bishop. No arguments availed. 



■^t. 37.] Constitution of the Caravan. 407 

"Whither thou goest I will go," and finally the poor 
lad was taken. Hannington did not need painfully to 
exact homage from his dependents after the manner of 
other mortals ; it was yielded to him spontaneously, and 
as his due. 

Mr. Jones describes in the following manner the con- 
stitution of the caravan bound for the Lake. First the 
amount of goods (/. e., the equivalent of money), and 
necessary food, etc. Cloth, 24 loads. Wire, 51. (This 
is greatly in demand among the Masai, and is worn by 
the women as armlets, leglets, and necklets.) Provision 
boxes, 19. Powder, 10. Shot, 1. Beads, 21. Baskets, 
5. Bishop's personal luggage, 6. Fowl box, 1. Cook- 
ing pot, 1. Washing tub, 1. Rice, 4. Beans, 13. Millet, 
5. Shells, 7. Salt, 2. Dates, 1. Bishop's cot, 1. Biscuit 
boxes, 5. Jones' personal luggage and tent, 6. 

The headmen of the caravan were Ibraim, Arthur, 
Bedui, Hassani, Asumani, and Kiongozi (also the in- 
terpreter). The under-headmen were Gilbert Juma, 
Mbaruku, Mwandzingo, Tosiri, Abdalla, and Tofiki. 

The caravan was divided into three sections : First, 
Zanzibar and Mombasa Mohammedans, 106. Second, Ra- 
bai men, 66. Third, Kisauni, 54. In all 226 men ; the 
Bishop and Jones bringing up the total number to 228. 

It will be easily understood that the feeding of such 
an army in a famine-stricken district can have been no 
simple business. The " anxiety" to which the Bishop 
refers in his letter was not uncalled for. It must have 
been a very real relief when the caravan reached parts 
in whxch food was once more obtainable upon the usual 
terms. 

We may now, by the aid of the Bishop's brief jottings, 
supplemented by Mr. Jones' diary, continue our nar- 
rative from the date of his last letter. 



408 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

Aug. 12th. — One of the men fell ill, and had to be left 
behind, supplied with enough cloth to enable him to re- 
turn home. " Poor fellow ! he was very sorry to part 
from his old companions in the caravan." The rest 
started at six a.m., and after a hard march of eleven 
hours, reached a fine stream — the Kuombi, or Kiumbi — 
two hours from which they halted. The Bishop writes : 
"Game abundant"; and Jones describes how, during 
the march, they shot a number of guinea-fowl, and sup- 
plied the camp with fresh meat ; he then goes on to say: 
" To-day, for the first time in my life, I saw the moun- 
tain of Kilima-njaro. It looked like a large table cov- 
ered with a great white sheet." On this day a grave 
misfortune happened. The boy who bore the medicine 
chest was nowhere to be found. The Bishop would not 
believe that the boy had run away, nor did it seem 
probable that he would do so in that remote region. 
The medicine, too, could not be dispensed with ; so he 
offered six doti of cloth to any man who would find the 
boy, and detached ten men from his own party to re- 
trace their steps as far as the last camp.* 

During the whole of Aug. 14th, they fought their way 
through an obstinate jungle that lies between the Kia- 
ngeni River and Ulu, at which latter place they arrived 
at four p.m., and camped at the foot of the Nzawi Hill 
by the River Chamela. The country here is beautifully 
wooded, and the climate temperate, the mornings and 
evenings being cold enough to cause the Coast porters 
some discomfort. The people tried to be troublesome, 
and wanted to exact a large hongo. The Bishop offered 
them three doti, which they accepted scornfully and 

* The search appears to have been to no purpose. Hanning- 
ton writes : " I suppose I ought to turn back ; but no, not yet." 



JEt. 37.] Blocked by a Mob. 409 

asked for more. He immediately ordered the hongo to 
be taken from them, and walked off to his tent. The 
elders were confounded, not being accustomed to be 
treated otherwise than with humble deference by pass- 
ing caravans. When, however, they saw that the Mzu- 
ngu (white man) was in earnest, they called for the 
interpreter, and begged that his master would not be 
angry, but would let them have the three doti. 

This was repeated more than once at different stages 
of the journey through Ulu. On one occasion, when 
the Bishop moved steadily on, and refused to listen to 
their plaguing demands, they could not conceal their 
surprise and bewilderment. But they soon came to 
their senses when they saw their hongo vanishing with 
rapid strides into the jungle. So much so that one of 
the most importunate turned to Jones and said, " I was 
only making fun "; whereupon he at once replied, "And 
so, of course, was I," and matters were amicably settled 
by the payment of a moderate sum. 

Aug. 16th being Sunday, the Rabai men and others 
who were willing to attend Service were summoned by 
the sound of Mr. Jones' whistle. He says : " I preached 
to them both morning and evening, and we sang the 
hymn, ' Forever with the Lord.' " Nor could a more 
suitable camp hymn be possibly chosen. We may here 
mention that every day was begun and concluded with 
public prayer. 

On Aug. 18th, at about 11 a.m., their way was blocked 
by a mob of armed men. Mr. Jones writes : " They de- 
manded most vehemently that we should not pass till 
something had been given to them. Halt, halt, they 
cried ; if not, we will fight. Our interpreter trembled 
from head to foot, and said to me, Do not resist them, 
or we shall all be killed. On and on I moved, followed 
18 



410 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

by the whole caravan, threatened on every side by the 
infuriated crowd. The bearer of the Union Jack trem- 
bled fearfully, and heartily wished himself away. I 
stopped the caravan that we might discover where the 
Bishop was, for the throng was so dense that we could 
not see each other. By and by the Bishop appeared. 
At the sight of his lordship the barbarians gave way 
like a cloud before the wind. They were all amazed to 
see the Bishop, for many of them had never seen a white 
man in their life. They stood thunderstruck and gazing 
at him. The Bishop made his way through the crowd. 
Then many of them resisted him with all their might, 
without any respect or regard for his dignity. I was 
close to him, and began to be anxious for his lordship ; 
but he walked rapidly on quite regardless of their veil- 
ings and ferocious cries. Twice they barred our way 
with a human fence, and twice we passed through them 
to their great astonishment. The Bishop all this time 
was quite calm, and only smiled at all their gestures 
and menaces. At last we came to a stream which di- 
vided one district from another. They refused to let us 
pass, but the Bishop went straight ahead, and was fol- 
lowed by all the caravan. We arrived safely at Mboni 
toward 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and were not sorry to 
have reached a resting-place. I was greatly amused to 
see the very men who had given us so much annoyance 
an hour ago come round to our camp to barter and dis- 
pose of their goods. We bore them no enmity, but ho 
pitably invited them in." 

It then appeared that one of the men had picked 
up an empty ostrich egg which lay at the foot of a 
large tree by the wayside. This egg was a charm, 
and hongo was demanded from the unwitting cul- 
prit. As the Bishop's party were now. in. a position 



/Et. 37.] The March to Ngongo a Bagas, 41 1 

of security, the matter was easily settled by a trifling 
present. 

On Aug. 19th they started to try and reach Machako's 
Hill, but were misled by some guides and came short of 
their goal. They passed the night in a deep valley about 
six miles distant. " On the way we passed through high, 
lonely hills, which all trend toward the north. It is dif- 
ficult to say how beautiful the Ulu country is. It is a 
country full of water and cattle. All provisions are 
plentiful and cheap." 

"Aug. 20. — Reached Machako's Hill. Densely popu- 
lated : pies much in request ; beads will pass for a few 
things, and all kinds of wire. Climate suitable for Eu- 
ropeans. Very cold at night, and the days sometimes 
so cloudy that the sun is not seen at all." 

Aug. 21st was spent in buying food for three days, as 
the march to Ngongo a Bagas is across a plain where 
nothing can be obtained. Jones describes this district 
as " one vast plain extending for miles westward, and 
dotted with small hills." On these grassy prairies the 
Masai pasture their immense herds of cattle. Across 
this plain they steered by compass, making a straight 
line for Ngongo. The Bishop and his Chaplain pres- 
ently sighted a rhinoceros, and as the caravan wanted 
meat, they tried to stalk him. They succeeded in creep- 
ing within twenty yards of the formidable monster, so 
dim-eyed and so keen-scented, and then he seemed to 
sight them. Down they both dropped into the grass. ■ 
" Fire, my lord ! " said Jones. " No," replied the Bishop, 
" as he stands I cannot get a good shot ; wait." It is 
not pleasant to kneel face to face with a rhinoceros in 
an open plain, with the knowledge that if the brute 
makes out your whereabouts he will come thundering. 



412 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

down upon you like an express locomotive. Jones got 
nervous. " Fire, my lord ! " he whispered anxiously. 
But the Bishop would not, and the two remained in 
their uneasy position, as Jones says, " like two devotees 
of Siva, with their knees bent," before the grim idol. 
At last the great beast got their wind, and dashed round 
with a snort. The Bishop leaped to his feet and fired, 
but failed to stop it, and, after a short chase, had to re- 
turn to the greedily expectant caravan without his rhi- 
noceros steaks. 

A few days later the Bishop had a narrow escape from 
another rhinoceros, which charged him almost home. 
A shot in the head produced no effect, and the second 
shot, which turned him, was delivered point-blank at 
four yards distance. Mr. Jones bears an admiring trib- 
ute to his Bishop's perfect coolness in such situations of 
danger. The plain of Kapte abounds with game of 
every kind. The whole caravan was held once in aston- 
ishment at an enormous herd of zebras, some two thou- 
sand in number, the playful beasts careering back and 
forth and in and out, like cavalry going through some 
intricate evolutions.* Here, too, they sighted a herd of 
elephants. 

Aug. 2$th. — " Arrived in the evening at Ngongo a 
Bagas." This place is situated on the borders of Masai 
Land and the country of the Wa-Kikuyu. Here is the 
source of the river Athi. The Wa-Kikuyu inhabit the 
forest-clad uplands which here abut upon the plains of 
the Masai country. Mr. Thomson, who camped at this 
spot for some three weeks in company with a huge car- 
avan of Swahili traders, accuses them of treachery, and, 

* The Masai do not kill them, and they are, in consequence, ex- 
tremely tame. 



JEt. 37.] The Wa-Kikuyu. 413 

indeed, not without reason. He describes the extreme 
precautions which had to be adopted in protecting the 
camp against a night assault, and how the traders en- 
trenched themselves within a ditch and a strong palisade 
of tree-trunks before they considered themselves safe. 
It is only, however, fair to add that there are two sides 
to this story. Let us hear what Mr. Jones has to say : 
" The greedy Swahili last time they were here, as they 
were in great force, took advantage of the poor Wa- 
Kikuyu, and when they came down to sell their goods 
caught them and made slaves of them. Some of these 
were redeemed by their relations ; the remainder were 
taken down to the coast. The Swahili traders followed 
this up by attacking the Wa-Kikuyu in their forest- 
homes, killing some and kidnapping others ; so that 
there is little wonder if they have lost faith in the Swa- 
hili caravans." It seems clear that if Jumba Kimameta 
and his friends have suffered occasionally from this 
forest tribe, they are only reaping what they have them- 
selves sown. The Bishop was very anxious to hold some 
intercourse with the Wa-Kikuyu, but they dared not 
venture down to bis camp. He therefore went up to 
them with an escort of only ten men. Even then he 
failed to gain their confidence. So far from attempting 
to do him any violence, the unhappy Wa-Kikuyu fled 
before him everywhere. His camp was reduced to the 
verge of starvation. With the greatest difficulty, after 
several days, and by carefully divesting himself of every 
appearance of being about to use force, he succeeded in 
buying a few sweet potatoes, and so staving off what 
threatened to be a real disaster. The men were abso- 
lutely without food, and the camp resounded with their 
wails. At last the elders of the caravan were summoned 
to a council, and, at their recommendation, the Bishop 



414 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885 

resolved to " eat muma " * with the natives. This he 
attempted to do, but in vain ; their fears were not to be 
allayed. But Mr. Jones must tell his own story : " The 
Bishop returned, thoroughly disheartened, disappointed, 
and discouraged. ' Bwana,' he said, ' bring me a gun- 
cap tin box.' He then took all our remaining grain, 
and measured it out. He found it be 70 small teacups. 
• Three times that is 210 ? ' ■ Yes, my lord.' l Well, call 
the men, and give each a cap-box full.' I summoned 
our starving people together, and distributed the grain 
accordingly. After being the whole day without food, 
a cap-box full of grain would seem to be nothing. But 
to our men it was something. They all moved away to 
their fires, and ate with less gloom upon their faces. 
Few of them, however, slept that night. Some cried, 
4 Let us go back.' Others asked, ' Is this our last place ? 
Have we been brought here to die ? ' Of course they 
knew that they could not go back, and that there was 
no retreat. The camp was filled with cries and weeping. 
The elders were again summoned, but could recommend 
nothing. So the Bishop bid them again to try and get 
food from the Wa-Kikuyu ; they were then dismissed, 
and I whistled for our Rabai men to come to prayers. 
After prayers the Bishop and I, as a rule, sit down by 
our fire and talk over the day's work, and now and then 
peep into Thomson's book, to see what he says. We are 
very much indebted to that author for many good sug- 
gestions. The result of this night's talk was that I 
started off early in the morning with 20 men, as the 
Bishop told me not to take more lest I should alarm the 

* This is a ceremony by which friendship is supposed to be 
sealed. Blood is extracted from the arms of both parties to the 
contract, and a piece of meat dipped in the mingled blood is eaten 
by each. The two then are accounted " brothers." 



JEt. 37-] Difficulties with the Wa-Kikuyu. 415 

natives. I took a few strings of beads, and some cloth, 
and iron wire. We crossed the stream, made our fire 
upon a rock, and sat down. Like Heralds at Ear-Gate, 
we fired our guns as a salute, though we could see no 
one through the impenetrable undergrowth. After wait- 
ing two hours, a single man came out from the forest, 
with fresh leaves in his hand, as a mark of submission 
and peace. We also plucked leaves and waved them, 
after which he drew near. He said the Chief was close 
by, and wanted to know whether we had come to fight 
or to buy grain. We explained, and the man flew to his 
friends, to tell them that we wanted to buy food and not 
to fight. Three men next stepped out of the wood, told 
us the Chief was coming, and disappeared. Then the 
Chief came toward us, a man of about fifty years old, 
and half-drunk, reeling to and fro like a ship in a storm. 
He first spat in his hand,* and, with its filthy contents 
streaming down, this savage potentate shook hands with 
me. I was not at all inclined to reach my hand to him, 
but it could not be helped. I asked to eat muma with 
him and his people, after which I would give him the 
present I had brought for him. They refused to eat 
muma with us, and clamored for the presents, which I 
gave them ; after that they promised to bring food for 
sale. Off they went, and in a quarter of an hour buying 
and selling began. Trade had scarcely become brisk, 
however, when the natives showed signs of hostility. 
They threatened us from a distance with their shields, 
throwing arrows in our direction and brandishing their 
swords. We took no notice, though I kept my eye upon 
them. But, as arrow after arrow was thrown at us, I 

* Spitting upon a stranger in this district is a mark of friendship; 
and the highest compliment. 



416 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

gave orders to the men to hold their guns in readiness, 
which they did. The Wa-Kikuyu shouted, and made 
the women who were selling return back. The children 
all fled. None remained but men, who all began to yell 
and throw their arrows at us. My men were panic- 
stricken. We had a dense jungle behind us, and some 
of them retreated into it, which, of course, encouraged 
the natives. They drew closer, and their poisoned ar- 
rows fell among us. I told the men not to fire, and we 
retreated slowly with the food we had bought, keeping 
our faces toward the enemy, lest our backs should be 
turned into targets. Happily, they did not follow us 
into the jungle. With our guns we were more than a 
match for them, had we chosen to fire ; but I felt that I 
should do nothing which would grieve the Bishop and 
give our caravan a bad name. I picked up eight poi- 
soned arrows that fell among us. 

"When I reported myself to the Bishop, I found that 
the Masai had come into camp. They had just found 
us out, and wanted presents. They promised to bring 
ngombe (cattle) for sale next day. In the evening, the 
Bishop called the elders together and told them that he 
did not consider that the danger from the Wa-Kikuyu 
was anything great, and he would go the next day armed 
only with his umbrella and encounter them. From this 
we with much difficulty dissuaded him, and the next day, 
August 31st, a hundred men left the camp with orders 
to go and buy food. After a few volleys the Wa-Kikuyu 
came down in great numbers, and a brisk market began. 
This looked better. We really thought our troubles 
were going to end ; so I went hunting with three men, 
and left all buying food as fast as they could. When I 
returned, some hours later, the Bishop called me, and I 
saw at once that something was wrong. As soon as I 



JEt. 37.] More Difficulties. 417 

entered the tent I saw a Zanzibar man with two sword 
cuts upon his thigh and several wounds upon his body 
Another man had his skull fractured with a club. I was 
not, I confess, much surprised. There had been an at- 
tempt to steal, and our men had lost their heads and got 
roughly handled. 

" The men were now all very anxious to get away, but 
the Bishop, who knew that it would be impossible to ad- 
vance further to the North unless we succeeded in get- 
ting a supply of food ; insisted that another effort should 
be made. The elders of the caravan were again taken 
into consultation, and signified their readiness to abide 
by what the Bishop might determine. On Tuesday, 
Sept. 1, therefore, he started with a hundred men to re- 
open negotiations with these abominable Wa-Kikuyu. 
The presence of the Bishop made them behave somewhat 
better, but by and by one of the headmen saw a man 
making off with his upper garment, and ran after him, 
firing a charge without a bullet to stop him. Immedi- 
ately the market broke up and the Wa-Kikuyu fled in all 
directions into the jungle. Our men seeing this, rushed 
forward to seize their goods. But the Bishop, seeing 
what would follow if the men were allowed to do what 
they pleased, ran and stood where the natives had piled 
their salable things, and prevented any of our men from 
snatching them. He then ordered the men to march 
home and leave him there alone. Presently a native 
peered out of the thicket, and, when the Bishop beckon- 
ed to him, drew near, and the Bishop gave all the goods 
belonging to his people into his hands, and then returned 
to camp, very angry with our men. But for their disobe- 
dience the market might have been continued muchlonger 
The man who fired at the native had his gun taken from 
him, and was severely reprimanded. He was afterwards 
18* 



41 8 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

forgiven at the intercession of the elders in behalf of 
their brother. A gun taken from the Wa-Kikuyu was 
also returned to them. 

" On Sept. 2d the Bishop went out again with seventy- 
men. This time he determined to purchase everything 
himself. When the natives came down, he concentrated 
our men in one spot, from which he forbade them to 
move, while he bought what was necessary. So things 
went for a while very smoothly, though our famishing 
men were hard to restrain ; till suddenly the cry of Masai 
was raised, and a number of warriors leapt from the 
jungle with spears and shields. It was a false alarm, 
but the Wa-Kikuyu took fright, and again the market 
was stopped. The Bishop returned weary and disgusted. 
The men were daily growing weaker and weaker. It 
would soon be impossible to move from this place either 
forward or backward. The same tactics were, however, 
patiently adopted during the next three days. The ap- 
parently desolate forest was in reality swarming with 
the Wa-Kikuyu; but they live in impenetrable fastnesses. 
Even the Swahili traders, with all their pretences, have 
not succeeded in peeping into their huts, and the formid- 
able Masai cannot cope with them in the recesses of 
their own forest highlands. On Monday, the 7th, a more 
successful attempt was made to purchase food. The 
Bishop again went out with about a hundred men, whom 
he caused to sit in a circle while he dealt with the na- 
tives. The plain was soon crowded with the Wa-Kikuyu, 
who pressed in on every side. Our men, who had no 
trust in them, laid each his loaded gun by his side. It 
was, however, almost impossible to prevent things from 
being stolen by these thievish people. The Bishop had 
great confidence in natives,* and believed that they 

* He writes : " They never attempt to offer me the slightest show 



^t. 37.] Dealing with a Difficult Case, 419 

would not try to kill a European ; but he was to-day 
roughly undeceived ; for the men who had completed 
their own sales began to assume a defiant attitude, and 
raised their war-cry. The women at once fled. The 
Bishop ran to the front and waved some grass in token 
of peace, and for a time order was restored. Looking 
round, however, he saw a group of men close behind 
him, with their bows bent, and on the point of shooting. 
When they caught his eye they retreated. We had by 
this time purchased enough to make a move, and so, 
after a fortnight's delay, and being brought to the verge 
of starvation by these provoking Wa-Kikuyu, we packed 
up our goods, and on Tuesday, the 8th, resumed oui 
march to Mianzini." 

The foregoing extract from Mr. Jones' diary affords a 
good illustration of the patience and cool courage with 
which Bishop Hannington would encounter a serious 
difficulty. It is a no less remarkable instance of the 
method which he consistently adopted in dealing with 
the natives. He was determined, at all cost, to win 
their confidence, and to teach them, by firm and just 
treatment, that the good faith of a Christian might be 
implicitly relied upon. On this occasion, he had to deal 
with a case of unusual difficulty. Not only were the 
natives of a peculiarly timid, treacherous, and wolfish 
nature, but they had been accustomed to have to do 
with the slave-taking Swahili traders, and to hold inter- 
course with their caravans much as a pack of shrinking, 
snarling jackals might try to snatch a mouthful in the 
presence of the lion. 

of insult. Half a mile from our men, I was not unfrequently alone 
with them ; while, if a black man is with me, it is with the utmost 
difficulty that they keep their hands off him, nearly stabbing him at 
my side." 



420 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 8th, the long caravan was again in 
motion. The greatest care had now to be taken to guard 
against an attack from the rear. The path skirted the 
forest for a long distance, and every bush concealed a 
lurking foe. Mr. Thomson's caravan was here set upon 
and very roughly treated, while some of his cattle were 
killed. Mr. Jones writes : 

" As we were descending a steep track, a rush was 
made upon the sick, who were being carried in the rear, 
by a host of Wa-Kikuyu. The men in charge of the sick 
fled, but they, strange to say, revived and flew for their 
lives, escaping with a few blows from clubs. When we 
heard the alarm, the Bishop and some of our men ran 
back to the scene of action, and a volley put the enemy 
to flight. At the end of the plain there is a fine tree, 
toward which all our men at once made, to rest beneath 
its shadow. They had scarcely sat down when they 
were attacked furiously by an enemy worse than the 
Wa-Kikuyu A vast swarm of bees came down from the 
tree, and settled upon the caravan in thousands. The 
men ran for their lives, many of them dropping their 
loads. The bees covered the ground for some two hun- 
dred yards in every direction from the tree. The Bishop 
bid the men who had dropped their loads return and 
fetch them ; but though they tried, they found it simply 
impossible to do so ; many of them actually cried like 
children, and called upon their mothers ; every one was 
stung more or less. The Bishop made the attempt to 
reach the deserted loads himself, but was driven back. 
He then draped himself in his mosquito curtains and 
tried again, but before he got the loads he was stung 
most pitifully. My own eyes were so closed by the 
swelling from stings that I was almost totally blind for 
two days." 



■*Et. 37-] The Masai Warriors. 421 

On Wednesday, Sept. 9th, they crossed the River 
Kedong. Mr. Jones continues : " We slept in a Masai 
kraal for the first time. The kraal caught fire owing to 
the carelessness of the men, and we were burnt out." 

On Sept. 10th they camped within sight of Lake Nai- 
vasha. The next day they were introduced, in the neigh- 
borhood of that lake, to the notorious Masai. Mr. Jones 
writes : " Though their name is a terror to all surround- 
ing countries, yet in their own land they are not so 
savage. The married men are hospitably inclined to- 
ward strangers, and if the hongo is paid in time all is 
peace and pleasantness. As soon as we reached Nai- 
vasha, we were surrounded by the young warriors, whom 
they call El-Moran ; it is from these that trouble comes. 
I said to the Bishop that, after all, they did not seem to 
be so bad as they had been described. ' Wait,' said he, 
'you have not seen them yet.' 

"The morning of Sept. 12th broke most gloriously, 
but little peace was in store for us. By 7 a.m. our camp 
was filled with Masai women, bringing all kinds of things 
for sale. They talked and trafficked with our people 
most freely. As they poured into the camp, they brought 
with them swarms of flies. We soon found that our 
boma (fence) was too weak ; but that could not now 
be remedied. The El-Moran, too, began to flock in, and 
to sing war songs and shout vociferously. The El-Moran 
is an idle creature, who looks upon himself as born into 
the world for no other purpose than to shed blood. He 
regards all the other tribes as infinitely beneath him. 
He expects to be treated with great respect and con- 
sideration by all the caravans which enter his country, 
and regards the coast porters with huge contempt. His 
body is smeared with red earth, and an oil called mbuu; 
his hair is twisted into tails which hang down his fore- 



422 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

head and shoulders. He possesses a fine-shaped head, 
which approaches, in many respects, that of the Anglo- 
Saxon, though his cheek-bones are very high and prom- 
inent. As a rule, the El-Moran is tall, and, as he lives 
on nothing but flesh and milk, his body is remarkably 
strong and solid. He lives in a separate kraal, with his 
girl companions of his own age. At this stage, the El- 
Moran has no thought of marriage, till his time as a 
warrior is served out. He does not, generally, marry 
until about thirty years of age, after which he lays down 
his spear, and counts himself unfit for the field. The 
only nation he regards with any respect is the European. 
He calls the white man Ngai, which may be said to mean 
a son of the gods. He is not an atheist, but worships 
the Supreme Being. When a caravan arrives, El-Moran 
comes with great pride and dignity of demeanor to de- 
mand a hongo, which has to be given, or mischief will 
soon follow. About a thousand, or even three thousand, 
of these El-Moran, and their girl consorts, live together 
in a circular kraal. They never go about alone either 
at home or to the battle-field, but by twos. It is con- 
sidered shameful and degrading that an El-Moran should 
return alive if his chosen companion has been killed in 
battle. 

" Such are the Masai as young warriors ; but as soon 
as they marry they put off their fierceness and settle 
down to a peaceful life. They are no longer ferocious, 
bloodthirsty, and turbulent, but are very remarkably 
kind to strangers, and especially to any women who may 
be in a caravan. They go about shaking hands most 
heartily with the foreigners, and are fond of entering 
into conversation with them." So writes Mr. Jones, and 
his words form an interesting addition to what Mr. 
Thomson has written on the same subject. He con- 




A MASAI WARRIOR (EL-MORAN). 



JEt. 37.] Demanding Hongo. 423 

tinues : " How to bring the knowledge of God's truth 
to this nomadic tribe — but, the time will come" Mr. Jones 
and the interpreter approached 'the group of young 
braves seated, each with his broad-bladed, glittering 
spear stuck in the ground by his side. " They arrogant- 
ly told us that they were the young warriors of the 
Masai, ' and had come to demand a hongo from the 
foreigners. They sneered at us when we tried to reduce 
the enormous tax they wished to extort from us. I told 
the trembling interpreter to say that I was not in a posi- 
tion to offer more than my Bishop had set apart for the 
purpose. No sooner did they see the presents than they 
all sprang up as if in a towering rage, moved back a few 
yards, and again sat down. ' We will show you how to 
respect us,' they cried. The interpreter was dreadfully 
frightened, and his body seemed to shake from head to 
foot. ' Why,' said he, with his two hands stretched out 
imploringly to me, ' why not give them what they want ? ' 
The present refused consisted of forty coils of iron wire, 
six pieces of calico, and forty strings of white and blue 
beads. More and more of the young warriors poured in 
upon us, and the situation seemed to be getting critical, 
I went in to the Bishop, and told him that we were 
having difficulty with the warriors, so he came out him- 
self and tried to reason with them. They most inso- 
lently replied that they did not care whether he were a 
Swahili or a European ; what they wanted was their 
hongo, and that they meant to get. On such occasions 
the Bishop was wont to take matters most patiently, and 
patience was sorely needed now. The whole camp was 
in trouble. The Masai men and women thronged every- 
where, till our own people were not visible among them; 
so, after some discussion, the Bishop yielded, and more 
goods were given to these hungry wolves. They were 



424 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

now satisfied ; but a few more beads were still asked for 
as a gift, which the Bishop gave to them. At about 10 
a.m. a second gang turned up, and began shouting to us 
from without the stockade. They had, it appeared, come 
from a different quarter, and wanted the same hongo as 
the first. Abdallah and a few others were busy in my 
tent cutting the wire and cloth and arranging the loads, 
and by and by we paid off this second detachment. It 
was now midday. The Bishop had not had an instant 
to rest. His tent was stormed by Masai elders, who 
seated themselves upon everything. The boys did not 
know what to do. Nobody dared to tell a Masai to 
move. My own tent was guarded at both entrances, 
but they peeped under the flaps, and pulled out what- 
ever they could lay hold of. Everywhere they were 
pilfering. Whenever the men tried to resist them they 
pointed their spears at them. All got nervous; all were 
hungry, but none dared to sit down and eat. Our visitors 
began to tear open the loads and turn over the boxes, 
while the guards were shamefully handled. I could not 
sit for a minute ; my heart would not let me rest. 
Every moment I anticipated an attack. Our men were 
all on tenter-hooks of apprehension. The Bishop him- 
self was puzzled and confused. His tent was filled. 
The chair, the cot, the wash-tub, bags, biscuit-boxes — 
all held Masai. One could not go through. The doth 
of the tent was spoiled by the red earth and oil with 
which their bodies were daubed, and everything was 
more or less smeared with it. 

" The Bishop retreated to a tree and sat down upon 
his stool. Soon the guards over our goods began to 
disperse through the pressure upon them ; my boy As- 
sumani was fast getting mad in trying to keep people 
out of my tent. The iron pegs of the Bishop's tent 



JEt. 37.] The Thieving Masai. 425 

were being pulled up and stolen. A Masai seated him- 
self behind Pinto the cook, and coolly stole a table- 
knife. He was running off, when I saw him and gave 
chase, and with difficulty got it back. Suddenly the 
guards shouted, ' A load of wire is going,' and a group 
of young warriors was seen bearing it off among them, 
none daring to resist them. I ran after them, and fling- 
ing myself into their midst, dashed the load to the 
ground without regarding their threatening spears. 
They were greatly astonished, but then gave way, and I 
bore the load back in triumph to camp. One of our 
men got his head cut open with a spear thrust ; another 
had his clothes taken ; but I saw the thief, and made 
him return the garment. 

"A third gang of warriors now appeared, and were 
chanting their mournful songs. The Bishop asked me 
to return and settle with them, and when I came back 
to him I was utterly surprised to see two ancients seated 
with him and conversing in the most serious mood. I 
brought the interpreter and left them together. It was 
now 3 p.m., and we all looked toward the sun and longed 
that it should go down. No day surely passed so slowly 
as that day. The third gang was satisfied ; but now the 
Masai seemed bent on robbery. They threatened our 
men with their spears, and teased and insulted every- 
body. All of a sudden a cry was raised that the women 
should leave the boma. They at once retreated, and 
the El-Moran stood to their spears. As many of our 
men as were bold enough held their guns in readiness, 
but more than half of our strength was away, as the 
men were hunting by the lake. Happily the riot was 
quelled somehow, and nothing came of it.* Lastly 

* The Bishop writes : " I strove in prayer, and each time trouble 
seemed to be averted." 



426 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

came the * doctor.' * The old and the young have got 
their hongo. Where is mine as doctor of the nation?' 
said he, defiantly smiling. After almost endless discus- 
sion he was paid off. Then another, who declared that 
he had been useful in some way or another, put in a 
claim. More discussion, and he at length was satisfied. 
Then the Masai boys had to receive strings of beads.* 
.... Hungry and thirsty the Bishop and I sat down to 
our evening meal. The place at length seemed clear. 
But no, our friends came in to see us eat. They touched 
and befouled everything eatable with their filthy fingers. 
We were at our wit's end. It was not till dark that we 
finally cleared the camp." 

The Masai were pleased to express their admiration 
of the Bishop, notwithstanding their scurvy treatment 
of him. As they examined him closely, stroked his hair 
and smoothed his beard, and then drew back to contem- 
plate his manly and well-set figure, rivalling their own 
tall race in height, they would murmur, " Lumuruo 
Kito ! " (a very great old man!) It is possible that 
much of their teasing and besmirching attention was 
intended as a compliment, but if so, it was a species of 
compliment that would soon have rendered the life of 

* The Masai boys, until the age of fourteen, are called El-Aiok. 
They are then circumcised and attached to the warriors' kraals as 
general assistants, and are termed El-barnodi. Between about the 
ages of seventeen and twenty-five or thirty they serve as warriors, 
and are known as El-Moran. After marriage the Masai becomes 
an El-moruo, and generally quits the war-path and becomes a staid 
and respectable member of society. The unmarried girls, who live 
in promiscuous intercourse with the El-Moran in their special 
kraals, are called En-ditto (pi., En-doye). The Masai are not gov- 
erned by chiefs, but by elders elected by popular vote, and who 
hold their office only so long as they give general satisfaction. 
They may, therefore, be termed republicans ! 



Mt. 37.] An Exhausting Day. 427 

its object unbearable. To live among the Masai is like 
moving among a troop of lithe and beautiful, but half- 
tamed leopards. The traveller has to be ever on the 
alert, or he will be pinned by the throat. Not yet had 
the caravan passed a more trying day. Every man in it 
was utterly exhausted. Never had they so longed for 
the evening. All watched with feverish anxiety till 
at length the great red disc of the sun set behind the 
mountain range of Mau, and 

" Slowly by God's hand unfurled 
Down around the weary world 
Fell the darkness." 

One such day was enough. The next morning the 
camp was broken up, and the caravan was on its way 
northward with the rising sun. The way led through 
" deep valleys, as if they had been excavated." 

On the 14th they saw the last of the troublesome 
Masai,* and camped at a place where, some years ago, 
" a caravan of a thousand men was surrounded and cut 
to pieces by the Masai." 

On the 15th they continued their way almost due 
north toward Njemps, passing through the volcanic 
region near Lakes Elmeteita and Nakuro. 

On the 16th, the Bishop writes: " Misled by Thom- 
son's map, I took a wrong direction, going too much 

* Three Masai brought an ox for sale. With these the Bishop 
made great friends, and allowed them to pass the night in his tent. 
He writes : " Having strewed the floor with the leaves of the sweet- 
scented Caleshwa, we laid us down, their spears and shields at 
their sides. They packed themselves away like sardines in a box, 
and I covered them over, first with a leopard's skin, then with a 
grass mat, and finally with a waterproof sheet. They fell almost 
immediately into a most gentle sleep. I soon followed their ex 
ample. Wherever we meet we are to be brothers." 



428 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

north. A great corner may be cut off by management. 
Reached Doreta." 

Mr. Jones writes: "On Sept. 18th we discovered a 
new lake, as we marched a little out of Mr. Thomson's 
road. It is not mentioned or marked by Mr. T. We 
slept on its banks. This lake lies southeast of the hot 
springs which are seen before reaching Njemps. 

"At about midday we came across a herd of ele- 
phants. The Bishop saw an opportunity of supplying 
the hungry caravan, and at once charged them. A cow 
elephant, in return, charged his lordship furiously. 
While the Bishop was thus engaged with the elephants, 
two rhinoceroses started up and made straight toward 
where he stood. I was standing upon a high precipice, 
from whence I could see all that was going on below. I 
shouted to the Bishop to beware of the two rhinoceroses, 
who were coming down rapidly upon him. But both he 
and Brahim, who was with him, failed to see them. 
Just as the cow elephant was charging the Bishop, the 
rhinoceroses got in between, and the elephant at once 
turned her attention to them, and charged down upon 
them instead of the Bishop. And now, from the top of 
my rock, I witnessed a very singular spectacle. The 
Bishop running and volleying the elephants ; the ele- 
phants chasing the rhinoceroses ; a leopard hunting my 
dog Tom ; and the caravan men dashing down their 
loads and scattering in every direction before the great 
beasts ! It was soon over, however, for the Bishop bag- 
ged his elephant, and almost brought down a second. 

" When our hungry people saw the elephant fall, they 
shouted for joy. That elephant was soon disposed cf. 
The men scrambled forward with their knives, and in a 
few minutes the huge beast was cut in pieces. Some of 
the men ate the meat raw. while others made large fires, 



JEt. 37.] Arrival at Njemps. 429 

and sat round to enjoy their feast. .... As they were 
not allowed to camp there, almost every man made up 
an extra load of meat to carry on with him." 

The next two days were spent in fruitless wandering. 
The party went astray in following what seemed a good 
lead, but which turned out to be a cut de sac, from which 
they only extricated themselves after some desperate 
work, clambering over a steep hill of a thousand feet, 
which brought them once more upon the plain. 

The Bishop writes: "I seem to see now why we lost 
our way. The game which we had shot supplied us 
with meat and enabled us to spend Sunday here in a 
beautiful spot, free from natives, and in peace and quiet; 
otherwise we should have been in Njemps in the thick 
of worry and bustle. The heat is intense, as Baringo 
lies in a deep hole. We have descended 3,000 feet since 
last Sunday. We had our two pleasant Services, and the 
day passed in the most absolute rest and peace. I lay 
stretched on my back in quiet contemplation and sweet 
dreams of dear ones at home, and often longing, often 
wondering whether I shall be permitted to see them." 

After resting throughout Sunday, the Bishop entered 
Njemps, near Lake Baringo. There are two villages of 
that name. The caravan made its way to the smaller. 
The Wa-Kwafi of Njemps are by extraction Masai, but, 
having lost their cattle in a war with a tribe of the lat- 
ter, they have become tamed, and have settled down to 
agriculture. They are a simple-minded and inoffensive 
people, and extremely trustworthy, so that their villages 
offer a delightful resting-place to the traveller weary 
of the violence and importunity of the Masai hordes 
through which he has struggled thitherward. 

On Sept. 22d they left the beehive huts of Njemps, 
and set their faces toward Kavirondo. The men were. 



430 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

all well laden with the food which they had purchased 
for their journey into the almost unknown country 
which they were now entering. Mr. Thomson's men did 
their utmost to dissuade him from penetrating further 
into this perilous region; but then they had the large 
caravan of the Swahili traders to fall back upon. Bishop 
Hannington's porters well knew that for them there was 
no retreat. Between them and home lay the dreadful 
Masai. Their only hope of safety now lay in pushing on 
to the Nyanza. There were, therefore, no protesting voices, 
but all braced themselves up to meet whatever dangers 
the next fortnight might have in store for them. 

They crossed the river Guaso Tigirish, scrambled over 
the rocky terrace that divides it from the Guaso Kamnye, 
and made for Kamasia. That evening they rested at 
Mr. Thomson's halting-place of Mkuyu-ni. 

On Sept. 23d they started at daybreak, and climbed 
along the steep and thorn-impeded track to the summit 
of the mountain pass of Kamasia. 

On the 26th they passed through Kapte, and the hills 
of Elgeyo lay before them, seeming to stretch in one 
long line of stupendous precipices from north to south. 
They camped at the foot of the Elgeyo escarpment, and 
spent the Sunday there. The Bishop writes : " Hongo 
rather hotly demanded by a fresh party, stirred up by 
Wa-Kwafi. I resisted a long time, but, for the sake of 
a quiet day,* gave way." 

On Monday, the 28th, the Bishop and his party as- 
cended the precipitous lava cap of the Elgeyo escarp- 
ment. They seem to have hit upon an easier point 

* " As a sign how tired one can be, on Friday last, when going 
to bed, I took a bite from a biscuit, and fell asleep, with the first 
mouthful still in my mouth, and the rest in my hand." — Bishop's 
Diary. 



JEt. 37.] A Rare Monkey. 43 1 

of ascent than that which gave so much trouble to Mr. 
Thomson,* for the Bishop's pocket-book has this so]e 
reference to the event, " Climbed to the top without dif- 
ficulty"; and Mr. Jones does not in any way expatiate 
upon any special peril or labor incurred in surmounting 
the obstacle. He does, however, allude to the fact that 
the night spent upon the height above was extremely 
cold, as indeed would necessarily be the case at that 
great elevation. 

The following day was spent in crossing a wide, tree- 
less plain, the Rangata Nyuki, or Red Plain of Guas' 
Ngishu, a kind of inlet of Masai Land, which runs up 
between the steep mountain ranges of Elgeyo on the 
east and the Surongai Hills on the west. The river 
Kiborum, which bounds the plain on the west, is neck- 
deep and rapid, and gave them some trouble to cross it. 
Next day a man was missed. Searchers were sent and 
found him a short distance in the rear, dead, and already 
half eaten by hyaenas. 

The Bishop notes that he saw one of those beautiful 
and rare monkeys, the Colobus guereza. He had met with 
it before only on the forest-clad sides of Kilima-njaro. 
It is specialized by a stripe of long white hair running 
along the sides and meeting at the tail, which is also 
white and bushy. Its skin is much affected by the war- 
riors of Moschi. 

When they reached the summit of the range of hills 
above the river, their journey seemed almost finished. 
Kavirondo lay stretched beneath their feet.f 

* Through Masai Land, p. 465. 

t Hannington writes, with unconscious prophetic meaning : 
" There lay Kavirondo before us — 

'As when the weary traveller gains 
The height of some o'erlooking hill, 



43 2 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

The village of Kabaras was reached at nine o'clock on 
the morning of the 4th. The simple-minded people had 
apparently exhausted their curiosity and fear at the 
sight of a white man over Mr, Thomson, for they greet- 
ed the Bishop in a frank and friendly manner, and sup- 
plied him cheaply with what provisions he was willing 
to buy. 

The country of Kavirondo, through which they were 
passing, is thickly inhabited. Villages are to be seen 
everywhere dotting the grassy plain. The inhabitants 
are the nakedest in the whole of Africa. Strangely 
enough, they are also the most moral. Both Mr. Thom- 
son and Mr. Jones make special allusion to these facts. 
The chief, Sakwa, received the Bishop and his present 
most graciously, and sent him on his way toward Kwa 
Sundu in peace. 

Kwa Sundu is only two hours distant from Kwa 
Sakwa. The people were a little shy at first, as the 
whole country had suffered terribly from the wretched 
Swahili slave-hunters, who had carried fire and sword 
among the villages not long before. When, however, 
they found that the Bishop had no connection with such, 
they were at once friendly, and admitted the caravan 
into their pleasant village, upon a tree-clothed hill-top 
near the rapid flowing river Nzoia. 

Bishop Hannington writes : " Naturally the natives 
seem good-natured and polite to strangers, and are by 
no means importunate. Oh that we might possess fair 
Kavirondo for Christ ! " 

A halt was made at Kwa Sundu until the nth. We 
may gather what followed from Mr. Jones' diary : 

His heart revives if 'cross the plains 
He sees the goal, though distant still.* " 



-^t. 37.] Starts Alone for the Lake, 433 

" Soon after arriving, the Bishop decided that he 
would proceed to the Lake alone, and leave me behind 
in charge of the caravan. Accordingly he began to pack 
those things which he thought to be most necessary for 
himself and the 50 men whom he chose from the 200 
porters to accompany him. He said that he would try 
to cross the Lake after reaching Lussala (Massala of Mr. 
Thomson), and go to U-Ganda. At Rubaga he would 
ascertain if any of the brethren wished to return to the 
coast, in which case they might take the new route by 
Kavirondo. They would then be able to take the cara- 
van back with them. The Bishop himself intended, 
when he returned, to do so by the old Unyamwezi route, 
and visit the churches which were established to the 
south of the Lake. 

"Oct. 12th. — To-day the Bishop left me. He was not 
at all well. An abscess had formed in his leg which 
gave him considerable pain. He would not, however, 
listen to my entreaties that he should wait until his leg 
was healed, but started with his fifty picked men. They 
were all loaded lightly, in order that they might be able 
to carry him should it prove that he was unable to walk. 

"Oct. 13th. — To-day some natives arrived from Sindi 
and reported that the Bishop and his caravan had passed 
that place all well. Sindi lies due Northwest, and is 
about fifteen or twenty miles distant. 

" Oct. 20th. — No news of the Bishop. The guide who 
went with him has returned, but brings no message. 
Probably the man has run away from the Bishop's camp. 
I am daily looking for a messenger with a line from the 
Lake. 

"Oct. 22nd. — To-day a man reported to me that one of 
tne Bishop's porters is at Sindi. Who he may be I can- 
not tell. Very likely he was left behind through sick- 
19 



434 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

ness. No letters from the Bishop, though to-day is the 
twelfth since he left us for the Lake. I pray that all 
may be well with him. 

" Oct. 2$th. — No letters from the Bishop. I have only 
152 men with me. With these, if the Bishop does not 
come this way, I shall have to return by the same way 
that we came. Wherever we passed our caravan was 
laughed at, owing to our small numbers. What will 
they say when they see us still less in returning ? 

"Oct. 2%th. — No news from the Bishop. It is becom- 
ing a matter of great anxiety. 

" Oct. $oth. — Still no news. Last night Arthur reported 
that one had told him that the Bishop had been attacked 
by a neighboring tribe, but of his safety nothing is said. 
It is now nineteen days since he left us. The tribe that 
is said to have attacked the Bishop is only four days 
distant, and we should have heard of any disaster long 
before this. I therefore regard this report as utterly 
false. 

"Nov. $rd. — All is silent. 

"Nov. 7th. — Not an air of news ! I am very anxious. 
To-day it is twenty-seven days since the Bishop left, and 
not a line has he sent. Every now and then I hear from 
people coming from Tunga's quarters that the party has 
passed that place, but no more. It may be that the 
party have reached the Lake, and that, owing to the 
Bishop's bad leg, everything is brought to a state of 
stagnation. 

" Nov. &th, Sunday. — After service, and just as I had 
finished writing in my journal, precisely at 12 noon r 
Bedue, one of the men, came to me sighing and breath- 
ing hard. 'What's the matter?' I said to him, rising. 
' Two men have come to me,' Bedue continued, ' with 
the report that the Bishop and his party have been 



jEt. 38.1 Rumors of Disaster. 435 

killed ! ' ' Where are they ? ' I demanded ; ' bring them 
to me at once that I may learn the truth of their story.' 
Bedue fiew away, but somehow the two men came to me 
before he returned. They said that they had been a 
long distance in search of a doctor for their chief, who 
is now ill ; on their road they picked up three of our 
men who had managed to escape when the Bishop and 
his men were being killed. ' Where are the three men ? ' 
I asked, though I could scarcely speak for nervousness, 
and my whole body shook fearfully. The men replied 
that they were at Sindi's. ' Why have you not brought 
them?' I said ; 'then I might have given you a hand- 
some present. You have only got the news of the 
Bishop's death, but no eye-witness who saw him die, or 
who has seen his dead body.' They then asked me to 
give them wire and beads, and said they would go and 
fetch the men. I hoped even then that these men might 
be playing me a trick, so I refused to give them any- 
thing, and said that I would make arrangements about 
any men who might be at Sindi's. 

" I immediately sent to the chief and asked for men 
to go to Sindi's village. Before the chief could return 
an answer, one of the men from Sindi's appeared. Now 
we could no longer regard the report as false, or how 
should he have come entirely stripped of everything ? 
The man came in and sat down. ' Now,' said I, ' Senenge, 
where have you come from ? and where is the Bishop ? ' 
(I asked these questions with trembling lips — the Bishop 
dead /). Senenge said that the Bishop and his party 
reached this side of U-Ganda safely. He wanted to go 
on, but the people prevented him until they had sent a 
message to their chief. The Bishop refused to be kept 
long waiting ; however, he was compelled to yield, and 
wrote a letter which he desired them to send to the 



436 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

missionaries in U-Ganda. On the eighth day the reply 
was brought that the chief had sent word that the Eu- 
ropean should proceed to see Mtesa.* Early on the 
ninth day the Bishop and his party were tied and con- 
fined in different places. Toward 5 p.m., first the Bishop 
and then the men, one by one, were killed at some dis- 
tance from the village ! 

" Before he had finished this tale, the two remaining 
men arrived from Sindi's. One of them had been speared 
in the right arm. They give the same report as to the 
Bishop and Pinto being killed, but different accounts as 
to how he was killed. Senenge says he saw none of the 
men killed. The other two say that thirteen men were 
killed and the rest taken for slaves. That before they 
were led to be killed they were stripped of their guns, 
tied together in threes, and made to sit in one place. 
The Bishop, they all say, was confined by himself in a 
place where the other men could not see him. All the 
goods were taken to the house of the chief Rua. The 
place of the murder they say is three days from U-Ganda. 
They say that October 31st is the day on which the 
Bishop died.f Senenge says the Bishop was speared 
and Pinto shot. The other two, that the Bishop was 
shot with two guns, Pinto with one." 

"After hearing all this dreadful report of the dear 
Bishop, I cross-examined the men as to how they man- 
aged to escape. To this I could get no satisfactory 
reply. As we were surrounded by eager natives all lis- 

* Probably Mr. Jones meant Mwanga, for he knew of Mtesa's 
death, but wrote " Mtesa " from long habit, as his name has always 
been associated with the U-Ganda Mission. 

tit is now almost certain that the 29th was the day of his 
death. 



JEt. 38.] Report of the Men who Escaped. 



437 



tening, I gave it out that this report was not true, and 
that these three men had wickedly deserted the Bishop, 
and instructed all my people to represent the report as 
untrue to the people of the village." 
" Can it be true that the Bishop is killed '$ " 



CHAPTER XXIIL 

HOW IT CAME TO PASS. 

" * And do you think that a spirit, full of lofty thoughts, and 
privileged to contemplate all time and all existence, can possibly 
attach any great importance to this life ? ' 

"'. No ; it is impossible.' 

'"Then such a person will not regard death as a formidable 
thing, will he ? ' 

" ' Certainly not.' " PLATO : Repub. 

'E/zoj yap to ^yv, Xpiarbg, mi to airodaveiv nepdog. — Phil. i. 21. 

We must now transfer our thoughts to the capital of 
U-Ganda, and inquire how matters had been going on 
there since Bishop Hannington's visit to the Lake in 
1882. We shall in this manner be able to understand 
how it came to pass that the Bishop, after that the jour- 
ney which he had so daringly and skilfully undertaken 
had been brought to a triumphant conclusion, and when 
he had the best reason for believing that all danger was 
over, was seized and put to death by the very men whom 
he regarded as his friends. 

I very heartily wish that space permitted me to give 
a detailed and full account of this, the most interesting 
of modern Missions, and fullest of the romance of real 
life. Chiefly for the sake of those who have not read 
Mr. Mackay's journal-letters, which have been published 
from time to time in the C. M. Intelligencer, It is not 
likely that those who have followed the varying fortunes 
of the Mission as narrated in his graphic and thrilling 
letters will require me to add anything to their knowl- 
(438) 



JEt. 38.] The Church in U-Ganda. 439 

edge. Perhaps, however, they will pardon me if, for the 
sake of the less accurately informed, I attempt to trace 
out, as briefly as may be, tne sequence of events which 
led to so great a disaster, and to the loss of a noble man 
over whom the Church Universal has mourned. 

On the 10th of October, 1884, about a month before 
the Bishop sailed from England, an event occurred 
which most seriously affected all Church work in Cen- 
tral Africa, and to which may be attributed the disaster 
of October 29, 1885. Mtesa, king of U-Ganda, died, 
and was succeeded by his son, Mwanga. This Mwanga 
is a mere boy, possessing none of his father's strength 
of character, and has proved to be almost wholly under 
the influence of his Katikiro (vizier) and council of 
chiefs. 

Christianity had been making great strides in U-Gan- 
da ; * and that in spite of the perplexing divisions caused 
by the French priests of the Roman Church, the bitter 
opposition of the Arabs, and the scarcely disguised dis- 
favor of the chiefs. Mtesa was a man of marvellously 
large heart — for an African potentate — and he was in- 
clined to let all parties have a fair field and no favor. 
Our Churchmen were not slow to make hay while the 
sun was shining. They set up their printing-press, and 
distributed everywhere portions of the New Testament, 
hymns, prayers, etc., in Luganda. It soon became fash- 
ionable to learn to read. The store-houses and offices 
of the Court were literally converted into reading-rooms. 
Lads might be seen everywhere, sitting in groups, or 
sprawling on the hay-covered floor, all reading — some 
the Book of Commandments, some the Church prayers, 
others the Kiswahili New Testament. Nor were these 

* Compare pages 200-203. 



440 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

books and papers given to them for nothing. They were 
both ready and eager to buy whatever literature they 
could get. 

On March 18, 1882, the first five converts were bap- 
tized, and in the year following several more. At the 
end of 1884 the native Church consisted of eighty-eight 
members. Among these was no less a personage than 
one of Mtesa's own daughters, " Rebecca " Mugali. This 
the king had not bargained for, and for some time the 
little Church was in real danger. But, after a while, 
Mtesa's natural breadth of mind led him to accept the 
logical conclusion of his tolerance, and things went on 
as before. Then occurred his death. What immediate- 
ly followed is a very remarkable testimony to the hold 
which Christianity had, even in this brief time, acquired 
over the minds of the people. The invariable custom 
hitherto had been to indulge in mutual and indiscrim- 
inate pillage, rapine, and murder, during the brief inter- 
regnum, and until the new king was installed. The 
heads of the Mission were warned by several of the con- 
verts, who hastened to announce the king's death, and 
bid them fortify themselves and prepare for the worst. 
After united prayer and consultation, they resolved to 
await events, without resisting any officially authorized 
attempt to pillage them. To their wondering thankful- 
ness, the expected carnival of blood was "honored in the 
breach." It was made known that the young king had 
spared the princes his brothers, whom custom would 
have permitted him to exterminate, and that there was 
to be no slaughter. Such a thing had never been known 
before, and a bright prospect of a good time coming 
seemed to open out before the Mission. But then came 
a time of trouble. Mwanga, immensely puffed up by 
his elevation, and indulging himself in all possible van- 



JEt. 38.] The Church in U-Ganda, 441 

ities and vices, proved to be of a feeble and vacillating 
character ; passionate and vindictive, timid and suspi- 
cious, he soon became a tool in the hands of his design- 
ing courtiers. The chiefs, intensely conservative of all 
customary abuses by which they maintained their special 
privileges and victimized the people, were alarmed at 
the progress which enlightened Christian views were 
making. They did not find it very difficult to arouse 
Mwanga's suspicions and work upon his fears. 

Unhappily, a pretext was soon forthcoming for an at- 
tack upon the Church. Mr. Mackay had been permitted 
to sail in the Mission boat Eleanor to Msalala, at the 
south end of the Nyanza, to meet three of his compan- 
ions who were reported to be upon their way to U-Ganda. 
They had not, however, penetrated so far, as their ser- 
vices were required at the various Mission Stations along 
the road. When Mr. Mackay returned without them, it 
was at once suggested by the unfriendly chiefs that he 
had never intended to bring them back, but had used 
the opportunity of leave of absence to communicate 
with the king's enemies. (The most puerile reports are 
enough to set an African kingdom in a blaze.) Some 
sort of color was given to this story by a rumor of white 
men in U-Soga, at the northeast corner of the Lake. 
This was Mr. Thomson's party, which penetrated to Up- 
per Kavirondo in 1883-84. The chiefs of U-Ganda have 
always looked upon an approach to their country from 
the north or northeast with extreme suspicion and dis r 
like. They regard the Lake as a natural barrier against 
invasion from the south ; they do not as yet entertain 
any great fear of danger from the west, though the new 
Congo State may probably before long excite their 
alarm ; but they are very nervous about any advance of 
another nation from the east or north. When Egypt 
19* 



442 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

was enlarging her borders southward they were in a 
state of panic. A single white man is looked upon as a 
host in himself, and as such to be most rigorously ex- 
cluded if he should make his appearance from the two 
forbidden quarters. Even Mtesa used sometimes to 
twit the white men at Rubaga,* asking them if they 
would like to see the country behind U-Soga, and assur- 
ing them that they should not. Mr. Thomson escaped 
even more narrowly than he at the time realized. 
Perhaps he owes his safe return to the fact that he 
reached the borders of U-Ganda about the time of 
Mtesa's death. At all events, it is certain that the chief 
who was responsible for letting him go, and omitting 
to bind and bring him before the king, has since been 
charged with the offence and degraded from his office. 

Such being the state of feelings in Mtesa's time, it was 
not hard for the chiefs to instil all kinds of vague fears 
into the feeble-minded Mwanga. Mr. Mackay was 
charged with sending his friends to U-Soga, there to 
collect an army, while he stole away the hearts of the 
people in U-Ganda from their king. Mwanga was en- 
raged to find that all his pages, with the exception of 
two or three, were pupils of the Missionaries ; he com- 
plained to them that they had ceased to respect his 
majesty, that they counted Jesus as their king, and 
himself not much better than a brother ! Matters soon 
reached a crisis. Mr. Mackay had obtained permission 
again to cross the Lake, and was proceeding with some 
of the Mission boys to the port, when he was forcibly 



* Mwanga has removed his capital, and built his " palace " at a 
place called Mengo, a mile and a half S.E. of Rubaga, which is 
now a bare, uninhabited hill. The C. M. S. Mission Station is at 
Natete, a mile and a half N.W. from Rubaga. 



^Et. 38.] The Boy-Martyrs. 443 

arrested by order of the Katikiro. The instrument em- 
ployed was one Mujasi, captain of the body-guard, who 
had once been sent on an embassy to General Gordon 
at Khartoum, and not meeting from that great Governor 
the distinguished consideration which he thought that 
his own highness merited, had returned with a perfect 
hatred of all white men, and a deep-seated loathing for 
their religion. He was rejoiced at this opportunity of 
showing his contempt for the Christian teachers, and 
used them with the utmost rudeness, dragging then* 
forcibly before the Katikiro. They only averted the 
utter destruction of the Mission premises by a timely 
present to the authorities. Their boys, however, h&d 
been seized upon the pretext that as Christians thev 
were joining with the white men against the king. They 
made the utmost efforts to obtain their release, but all 
to no purpose. Three of the younger were at last re- 
turned to them, but the other three were shamefully 
tormented and done to death. The lads who escaped de- 
scribed the scene to their teachers. But Mr. Mackay 
must himself narrate the terrible facts: "They were 
taken, with Kakumba and Mr. Ashe's boy, and also Ser- 
wanga, a tall, fine fellow who had been baptized. These 
three were then tortured, their arms were cut off, and they 
were bound alive to a scaffolding, under which a fire was 
made, and so they were slowly burned to death." As they 
hung in their protracted agony over the flames, Mujasi 
and his men stood around jeering, and told them to pray 
?iow to Isa Masiya (Jesus Christ) if they thought that He 
could do anything to help them. The spirit of the mar- 
tyrs at once entered into these lads, and together they 
raised their voices and praised Jesus in the fire, singing 
till their shrivelled tongues refused to form the sound 
Killa siku tunsifu ; 



444 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

" Daily, daily, sing to Jesus, 

Sing, my soul, His praises due ; 
All He does deserves our praises, 

And our deep devotion too. 
For in deep humiliation 

He for us did live below ; 
Died on Calvary's cross of torture ; 

Rose to save our souls from woe." * 

Little wonder that Mr. Mackay should write : " Our 
hearts are breaking." Yet what a triumph ! One of the 
executioners, struck by the extraordinary fortitude of 
the lads, and their evident faith in another life, came 
and asked that he also might be taught to pray. This 
martyrdom did not daunt the other Christians. Though 
Mwanga threatened to burn alive any who frequented 
the Mission premises, or adopted the Christian faith, 
they continued to come, and the lads at the Court kept 
their teachers constantly informed of everything that 
was going on. Indeed, when the Katikiro began to 
make investigation, he found the place so honey-combed 
by Christianity f that he had to cease his inquisition for 
fear of implicating chiefs and upsetting society generally. 
One man, named Nua, who had gone to the Court to 

* One of the hymns translated into the musical language of 
U-Ganda. The book of hymns and prayers has upon its title- 
page the happily-conceived monogram : 

M 

A 

I S A 

I 

Y 
A 

t In July, 1885, a large church had been built, which was over- 
crowded. The daily school was so largely attended that it was 
impossible to teach properly all who came. Mr. O'Flaherty writes 
that on July 26th, no less than 35 persons openly communicated. 



&t. 38.] Dangers Thicken. 445 

confess himself a Christian and take the consequences, 
was sent home in peace, and his accuser, Mujasi, rebuffed. 
This discovery did not, however, as one may suppose, 
incline the chiefs to look with any greater favor upon 
the new religion. 

Such was the state of affairs in U-Ganda in the spring 
of 1885, when the Bishop was contemplating his journey 
thither through Masai Land. 

He was quite ignorant of the strength of the prejudice 
which existed there against permitting an entrance into 
the country through U-Soga. It is evident that Sir John 
Kirk and all in Zanzibar, as well as the Missionaries at 
Frere Town, were also in ignorance of this. They were 
all apparently unanimous in their recommendation that 
the new route should be tried, and if the country of the 
Masai were safely passed, they did not see any reason 
to doubt that the Bishop would be received in a friend- 
ly manner into U-Ganda. 

Yet all this time the danger was increasing, until, had 
the Bishop known it, he might as safely have walked 
into a den of -lions as have ventured into U-Soga. We 
have mentioned the effect produced by Mr. Thomson's 
expedition, and the manner in which Englishmen in 
U-Ganda suffered in consequence ; but to the general 
vague fear of invasion by white men was now added the 
definite report of the high-handed proceedings of Ger- 
many at Zanzibar.* Mtesa, when he was pressed by his 
chiefs to take measures against the Europeans, who, they 
averred, were only waiting until they had sufficient forces 
at their command to declare hostilities, and eat up his 
country, would wisely reply : " If they intended to take 

* Germany had demanded from Seyyid Barghash the port of 
Bogamoyo- — and threatened to take it if he would not sell. 



446 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

the country, they would not begin with the interior. I 
shall wait until I see them commence upon the coast." 
Well, now, apparently, the dreaded Bazungu had begun 
to " eat up " the coast. " Alarm was at its height," writes 
Mr. Mackay ; " the Court counselled killing all the Mis- 
sionaries, as we were only the forerunners of invasion." 
Mr. Mackay did all in his power to convince the king 
and his chiefs that Englishmen were a different race 
from the Germans, and taking a large school-map, point- 
ed out to them the various divisions of Bulaya (Europe). 
His arguments were to little purpose. To the tribes of 
Central Africa all white men seem to be of one race; all 
are called Bazungu (Europeans). 

When information reached the Mission party that their 
Bishop was about to visit them, and had determined to 
enter by U-Soga, they were naturally alarmed. They 
took counsel together, and decided to tell the king, and 
explain to him the object of the Bishop's visit before a 
garbled account should reach his ears. This they did in 
September. They mentioned that their Superior and 
chief of their Church was coming that way probably to 
avoid the Germans, and did all that was possible to re- 
move from the king's mind the suspicion that they had 
any connection with the Germans themselves. 

The next morning, the king summoned a council of his 
chiefs. After some consultation they unanimously came 
to the conclusion that white men were all of the same 
race. That the white teachers were only the forerunners 
of war ; and that they were waiting for their headman 
to arrive, when they would commence at once to eat up 
the country. One proposed to go out and fight the 
Bishop. Another thought that all the white men in 
U-Ganda should be first killed, and so the evil stamped 
out with one blow. Another remarked that though it 



JEt. 38.] The Deed Accomplished. 447 

had been said that to kill a white man would bring dis- 
aster upon the land, yet that several had been killed 
with impunity, and nothing had happened. All were 
agreed that the Bishop should not be allowed to enter 
the country, especially as he was coming by the "back- 
door" through Busoga.* It was finally decided that the 
Bishop's party should be conducted round to the south 
of the Lake, to Msalala, and there await the pleasure of 
the king. 

In the meantime, Mr. Ashe, with Mr. O'Flaherty and 
Mr. Mackay, were not idle. They realized the peril in 
which their Bishop would stand, and constantly sought 
interviews with Mwanga to induce him to allow them to 
meet him and conduct him themselves to the capital. It 
was terrible to think that their friend was rapidly ad- 
vancing into the snare, and that they were utterly help- 
less to give him warning. 

On Oct. 25th, one of the Court pages came to the 
Mission-house with the news that a tall Englishman had 
arrived in Busoga, and further stated that it was said he 
had lost a thumb. f There could be no doubt who this 
might be. The king held a council, and it was decided 
that the stranger should be put to death. Mwanga was 
at first unwilling, and suggested that the white man 
should simply be turned back. To this the Katikiro re- 
plied, " Will you let their goods go also ? " So, for the 
sake of the plunder, the order went forth. Soon one of 
the pages whispered to his teacher that the white men 
had been all put in the stocks ; and, as Mr. Ashe and 
Mr. Mackay hastened to the palace to see Mwanga, a lad 

*In U-Ganda the prefix B is added. Thus, U-Ganda, Wa- 
Ganda, U-Soga, etc., become Buganda, Baganda, Busoga. 
tit was at first reported that there were two white men. 



44-8 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

whispered, as they entered the enclosure, " Men have 
already been sent to kill the white men." The king re- 
fused to see them, and they were assured that their white 
friends would be quite safe and would merely be escorted 
out of the country.* Sorrowfully they departed, know- 
ing that they were being deceived, since they had ob- 
tained reliable information through one of their young 
friends the pages that orders had been given " to kill the 
white man and his whole party, letting none escape, and 
to count their goods." 

We have not space here even to summarize what Mr. 
Mackay has written since that terrible 29th day of Octo- 
ber, with regard to his own position and that of his 
brethren in U-Ganda. It must suffice to say that they 

* The following extract from a letter written by Pere Lourdel, 
the Superior of the Jesuit Mission, refers to this: " Ouelques jours 
apres, nous apprenons que des blancs viennent par la route de 
Busoga. Les missionaires anglais, qui savaitnt que le blanc 
signale etait M. Hannington, vont, mais inutiiement, interceder 
aupres du roi pour qu'il revienne sur la sentence ; mais ils ne 
purent, pendant deux jours qu'ils attendirent a la cour, obtenir 
une minute d'audience. Ils eurent alors recours a moi et me 
prierent d'aller interceder en leur faveur pour la vie de leur eveque 
Comme alors le roi me recevait facilement, je me rendis a leurs 
prieres, et, a force d'instances, j'obtins de Mwanga qu'il ne ferait 
pas perir les blancs, mais le chasserait simplement en leur envoy- 
ant l'ordre de retourner sur leur pas. Mais la promesse du roi 
etait-eile fausse, ou l'ordre etait-il deja execute ? Le fait est que 
nous apprenions, quelques jours apres, que le meurtre etait con- 
somme. Le blanc vanait d'etre massacre avec la plus grande 
partie de son escorte, une quarantaine d'hommes environ." 

Also with regard to Mwanga's state of mind : 

" Le pauvre Mwanga ajoutait, le matin meme de cette seance : 
1 C'est moi qui suis le dernier roi de Buganda ; les blancs s'em- 
pareront de mon pays apres ma mort. De mon vivant, je saurai 
bien les en empecher. Mais, apres moi, se terminera la liste des 
rois negres du Buganda.' " 



/Et. 38.] The Bishop's Last Journal. 449 

have been in daily peril of their lives, and the only fact 
which has apparently stood between them and death on 
several occasions has been that Mwanga imagines that 
they do not know the fate which has befallen their Bishop. 
The Christians have been very faithful and devoted, and 
though the persecution has broken out afresh, and as 
many as thirty-two converts have been heaped together 
and burned alive in one great funeral pyre, conversions 
do not stop, and brave souls still confess Christ, seeking 
baptism at the risk of death in its most awful form. 
How this will end, God alone knows. In His keeping 
this band of Christian heroes may be left with confidence. 

We must return to the Bishop. The accounts of his 
death which were given to Mr. Jones by the men who 
escaped from the massacre, and those given to the Mis- 
sion party in U-Ganda by persons who professed to have 
been eye-witnesses of the deed, are substantially in agree- 
ment. 

It will be remembered that Mr. Jones states that the 
Bishop was suffering from an inflamed leg, which had 
confined him " to the outside of his bed " for nearly a 
week. He, nevertheless, made every preparation for an 
immediate start with his fifty men for the Lake. . His 
own journal, so happily and so unexpectedly recovered, 
supplies us with full and accurate information as to all 
that happened from the moment when he left Kwa-Sundu 
to within, probably, a few hours, or even minutes of his 
death. He writes: 

" Oct. 12th, Monday. — Nine hours, eighteen miles. At 
daylight, and almost before, I made a dash at my boot, 
and with fear and trembling, laced it up, and put foot 
to the ground. I stood, I walked, and without great 
pain, so I organized a start Arrived at Mtindi's 



45° James Ham [A.D. 1883. 

at 5 p.m.. tired, but none the worse. .... Immense 
Masai town close at hand." 

During the next week the Bishop walked about a 
hundred and seventy miles. On the second day he 
writes : " Climbing a hill, the Lake burst suddenly upon 
us, long before I expected it, for hills which we saw miles 
away proved to be islands. We found ourselves to the 
west of the deep Sio bay." The country was densely 
populated, and the people, on the whole, friendly, but 
inclined to hinder the rapid march westward of the im- 
patient European. Each petty chief of a district en 
deavored :: compel him to halt and remain ::r aday 
or two. The Bishop, however, pushed resolutely on, 
and refused to be detained. It was terribly anxious 
work, as he was perpetually surrounded by a crowd of 
obstructives, who seemed to be ever on the point of 
resorting to violence. His men were terrified, but he, 
generally with a well-assumed smile, or seeming-hearty 
laugh, sometimes with a demonstration of fist or stick, 
shouldered his way onward to the Nile. On Oct. 17th 
he found himself unexpectedly on the shore of the Lake, 
and - 

" I found an enormous market in full swing, and 
canoes from the islands, but none of my inquiries satis- 
fied me as to where we were, though I have stroug sus- 
picions that we have only reached a deep inlet opposite 

(Uvuma Island ?) We are in the midst of awful 

swamps, and mosquitoes as savage as bees ; the Lord 
keep me from fever ! " 

"Oct. 18M, Sunday. — I can hear nothing about the 
Nile. Nobody has heard of a river running north, nor 

of the Ripon Falls I passed a very restful and 

pleasant day, although it was difficult not to fidget 



/Et. 38.^ In a Troublesome Country. 45 1 

myself nervous about the swamps and bad water. The 
nearer I get the more anxious I seem, wrongly, to be 
about arriving, though I am sure I ought not to be so, 
since God has been so very gracious to me, and has thus 
far led me by the hand. 

u Oct. igtn, Monday. — .... Presently we came upon 
symptoms of war, and finally we fell in with a Wa- 
Ganda mob sent to subdue U-Soga. Their excitement 
at seeing me was intense. Many of them knew Mackay. 
Most of their leaders were drunk, and in a most danger- 
ous mood, coming round me, shouting and yelling, and 
ordering me about. Whereupon I took the high hand, 
and in spite of overwhelming numbers, I refused to 
stop, shook my fist in the faces of the most noisy, 
gathered my scattered men, and pushed through the 

mob All the neighborhood is decimated by war ; 

hundreds of fine banana-trees cut down, and huge 
bunches lying about rotting. We camped between the 
two war-parties. I could hear them both, and was in a 
vers- dangerous situation, as it was dark, and my men 
such fools that they would not keep still. 

•• Oct. zzth. — Through the mercy of God — and even- 
step of the way is through His mercy — nothing hap- 
pened during the night, but I fear we have arrived in a 

troublesome country We have, however, made 

fine progress to-day, and almost all in the right direction 
that should bring us to the Nile, near about the Ripon 
Falls ; and I don't think I am much out of my reckon- 
ing. Here, at least, we seem to have peace for a night. 

" Oct. 21st, Wednesday.* — About half an hour brought 
us to Lubwa's. His first demand, in a most insolent 
tone, was for ten guns and three barrels of powder ; 
this, of course, I refused. They then demanded that I 
should stay three days ; this I refused, and when the 



45 2 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

same demands were made, I jumped up and said, 'I go 
back the way I came.' Meantime the war drums beat. 
More than a thousand soldiers were assembled. M> 
men implored me not to move, but, laughing at them, I 
pushed them and the loads through the crowd and 
turned back. Then came an imploring message that I 
would stay but for a short time. I refused to hear till 
several messages had arrived ; then, thinking things 
were turning my way, I consented ; said I would give a 
small present and pass. My present was returned, and 
a demand made that I would stay one day ; to this I 
consented, because I fancy this man can send me on in 
canoes direct to Mvvanga's capital, and save a week'» 
march. Presently seven guns were stolen from us ; at 
this I pretended to rejoice exceedingly, since I should 
demand restoration not from these men, but from 
Mwanga. A soldier was placed to guard me in my tent, 
and follow me if I moved an inch. I climbed a neigh- 
boring hill, and to my joy, saw a splendid view of the 
Nile, only about half an hour's distance,* country being 
beautiful ; deep creeks of the Lake visible to the south. 
I presently asked leave to go to the Nile. This was 
denied me. I afterwards asked my headman, Brahim, 
to come with me to the point close at hand whence I 
had seen the Nile, as our men had begun to doubt its 
existence ; several followed up, and one, pretending to 
show me another view, led me further away, when sud- 
denly about twenty ruffians set upon us. They violently 
threw me to the ground, and proceeded to strip me of 
all valuables. Thinking they were robbers, I shouted 

* It seems clear from the above that Bishop Hannington pene- 
trated further than was at first supposed ; in this edition, therefore, 
the blue line upon the map has been prolonged almost to the right 
bank of the Nile. 



JEt. 38.] The Bishop Seized. 453 

for help, when they forced me up and hurried me away, 
as I thought, to throw me down a precipice close at 
hand. I shouted again, in spite of one threatening to 
kill me with a club. Twice I nearly broke away from 
them, and then grew faint with struggling, and was 
dragged by the legs over the ground. I said, * Lord, I 
put myself in Thy hands, I look to Thee alone.' Then 
another struggle, and I got to my feet, and was thus 
dashed along. More than once I was violently brought 
into contact with banana-trees, some trying in their 
haste to force me one way, others the other, and the ex- 
ertion and struggling strained me in the most agonizing 
manner. In spite of all, and feeling I was being dragged 
away to be murdered at a distance, I sang, ' Safe in the 
arms of Jesus,' and then laughed at the very agony of 
my situation. My clothes torn to pieces so that I was 
exposed ; wet through with being dragged along the 
ground ; strained in every limb, and for a whole hour 
expecting instant death, hurried along, dragged, pushed, 
at about five miles an hour, until we came to a hut, into 
the court of which I was forced. Now, I thought, I am 
to be murdered. As they released one hand, I drew my 
finger across my throat, and understood them to say 
decidedly No. We then made out that I had been 
seized by order of the Sultan. Then arose a new agony. 
Were all my men murdered ? Another two or three 
hours' awful suspense, during which time I was kept 
bound and shivering with cold, when to my joy, Pinto 
(the Portuguese cook) and a boy were brought with my 
bed and bedding, and I learnt that the Sultan meant to 
keep me prisoner until he had received word from 
Mwanga, which means, I fear, a week or more's delay, 
nor can I tell whether they are speaking the truth. I 
am in God's hands." 



454 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

The man who enticed the Bishop away from his fol- 
lowers, a few of whom had accompanied him to the 
summit of the hill, was one Masudi bin Suleiman, a 
renegade Mohammedan, who has renounced his race 
and creed, and cast in his lot with the heathen. He is 
well known as a violent opponent of Christianity in 
U-Ganda. The Bishop was dragged by a circuitous route 
to the village ; but one of the men, who happened to be 
wandering, was a horrified witness of his master's fate. 
He ran to tell his companions, and soon all was con- 
fusion and dismay. The panic-stricken men lost all 
nerve, and some of their goods were at once scrambled 
for by the natives. They were then all seized and de- 
tained as prisoners. The Bishop continues : 

"Oct. 22nd, Thursday. — I found myself, perhaps about 
ten o'clock last night, on my bed in a fair-sized hut, but 
with no ventilation, a fire on the hearth, no chimney for 
smoke, about twenty men all round me, and rats and 
vermin ad lib.; fearfully shaken, strained in every limb ; 
great pain, and consumed with thirst, I got little sleep 
that night. Pinto may cook my food, and I have been 
allowed to have my Bible and writing things also. I 
hear the men are in close confinement, but safe, and the 
loads, except a few small things, intact. Up to one 
o'clock I have received no news whatever, and I fear at 
least a week in this black hole, in which I can barely see 
to write. Floor covered with rotting banana peel and 
leaves and lice. Men relieving nature at night on the 
floor; a smoking fire, at which my guards cook ar.d 
drink pombe ; in a feverish district ; fearfully shaken, 
scarce power to hold up small Bible. Shall I live 
through it ? My God, I am Thine. 

<c Toward evening I was allowed to sit outside for a 



Mt. 38.] Sick and Shattered. 455 

little time, and enjoyed the fresh air ; but it made mat- 
ters worse when I went inside my prison again, and as I 
fell exhausted on my bed I burst into tears — health 
seems to be quite giving way with the shock. I fear I 
am in a very caged-lion frame of mind, and yet so 
strained and shattered that it is with the utmost diffi- 
culty I can stand ; yet I ought to be praising His Holy 
Name, and I do. 

" Not allowed a knife to eat my food with. The sav- 
ages who guard me keep up an unceasing strain of rail- 
lery, or at least I fancy they do, about the Mzungu. 

" Oct. 23rd, Friday. — I woke full of pain and weak, so 
that with the utmost difficulty I crawled outside and sat 
in a chair, and yet they guard every move as if I was a 
giant. My nerves, too, have received such a shock that, 
some loud yells and war-cries arising outside the prison 
fence,* I expected to be murdered, and simply turned 
over and said : ' Let the Lord do as He sees fit ; I shall 
not make the slightest resistance.' Seeing how bad I 
am, they have sent my tent for me to use in the daytime. 
Going outside I fell to the ground exhausted, and was 
helped back in a gone condition to my bed. I don't see 
how I can stand all this, and yet I don't want to give in, 
but it almost seems as if U-Ganda itself was going to be 
forbidden ground to me — the Lord only knows. After- 
noon. — To my surprise my guards came kneeling down, 
so different to their usual treatment, and asked me to 
come out. I came out, and there was the chief and 
about a hundred of his wives come to feast their eyes on 
me in cruel curiosity. I felt inclined to spring at his 
throat, but sat still, and presently read to myself Mat- 

* Since the publication of the first edition, the recovery of the 
Bishop's sketch-book has enabled us to give a fac-simile of his 
drawing of the hut in which he was eonfined. 



456 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

thew v. 44, 45, and felt refreshed. I asked how many 
more days he meant to keep me in prison. He said four 
more at least. He agreed, upon my earnest request, to 
allow me to sleep in my own tent, with two armed sol- 
diers at each door. The object of his visit was to ask 
that I would say no bad things of him to Mwanga. 
What can I say good ? I made no answer to the twice 
repeated request. He then said if I would write a short 
letter, and promise to say nothing bad, he would send it 
at once. I immediately wrote a hasty scrawl (I scarce 
know what), but said I was prisoner, and asked Mackay 
to come. God grant it may reach. But I already feel 
better than I have done since my capture, though still 
very shattered. 

" Oct. 2\th, Saturday. — Thank God for a pleasant night 
in my own tent, in spite of a tremendous storm and rain 
flowing in on the floor in streams. Personally I quite 
forgave this old man and his agents for my rough treat- 
ment, though even to-day I can only move with the 
greatest discomfort, and ache as though I had rheumatic 
fever. I have, however, to consider the question in an- 
other light ; if the matter is passed over unnoticed, it 
appears to me the safety of all white travellers in these 
districts will be endangered, so I shall leave the breth- 
ren, who know the country and are most affected, to act 
as they think best. The day passed away very quietly. 
I amused myself with Bible and diary. 

" Oct. 2$t/i, Sunday. — (Fourth day of imprisonment.) 
Still a great deal of pain in my limbs. The fatigue of 
dressing quite knocks me over. My guards, though at 
times they stick to me like leeches, and, with two rifles 
in hand, remain at night in my tent, are gradually get- 
ting very careless. I have already seen opportunities of 
escape had I wanted so to do, and I doubt not that in a 



JEt. 38.) Offers of Escape. 457 

few days' time, especially if I could get a little extra 
pombe brought to them, I could walk away quite easily, 
but I have no such intention. I should be the more in- 
clined to stop should they say go, to be a thorn in the 
old gentleman's side, and I fear from that feeling of 
contrariness which is rather inborn. I send him affec- 
tionate greetings and reports on my health by his mes- 
sengers twice a day. What I fear most now is the close 
confinement and utter want of exercise. When I was 
almost beginning to think of my time in prison as get- 
ting short the chief has sent men to redouble the fence 
around me. What does it mean ? I have shown no de- 
sire or intention of escaping. Has a messenger arrived 
from Mwanga? There is just time for him to have sent 
word to tell them to hold me fast. The look of this has 
cast me down again. 

" One of my guards, if I understand him rightly, is 
making me offers of escape. He has something very 
secret to communicate, and will not even take my boy 
into confidence. I do not, however, want to escape 
under the present circumstances ; but at the same time 
I take great amusement in watching and passing by 
various little opportunities. My guards and I are great 
friends, almost affectionate, and one speaks of me as 
My whiteman.' 

" Three detachments of the chief's wives, they say he 
has 1,000 nearly, have been to-day to see me. They are 
very quiet and well-behaved, but greatly amused at the 
prisoner. Mackay's name seems quite a household word; 
I constantly hear it. 

" My men are kept in close confinement, except two 
who come daily backwards and forwards to bring my 
food. This they take in turns, and implore, so I hear, 
for the job. 
20 



45 8 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885, 

" Oct. 26th, Monday. — (Fifth day in prison.) Limbs 
and bruises and stiffness better, but I am heavy and 
sleepy. Was not inclined to get up as usual, and, if I 
mistake not, signs of fever creep over me. Mackay 
should get my letter to-day, and sufficient time has 
passed for the chief to receive an answer to his first 
message sent before I was seized, the nature of which I 
know not, probably — White man is stopping here. Shall 
I send him on ? Waiting your Majesty's pleasure. If 
they do not guess who it is they will very likely, African 
fashion, talk about it two or three days first of all, and 
then send a message back leisurely with Mwanga's per- 
mission for me to advance. 

"About thirty-three more of the chiefs wives came 
and disported themselves with gazing at the prisoner. 
I was very poorly and utterly disinclined to pay any 
attention to them, and said in English, ' O ladies, if you 
knew how ill I feel, you would go.' When my food ar- 
rived in the middle of the day I was unable to eat. The 
first time, I think, since leaving the coast I have refused 
a meal. To-day I am very broken down both in health 
and spirits, and some of the murmuring feelings which I 
thought that I had conquered have returned hard upon 
me. Another party of wives coming, I retired into the hut 
and declined to see them. A third party came later on, 
and being a little better I came out and lay upon my 
bed. It is not pleasant to be examined as a caged lion 
in the Zoo, and yet that is exactly my state at the present 
time. My tent is jammed in between the hut and high 
fence of the Boma, so scarce a breath of air reaches me. 
Then at night, though the tent is a vast improvement on 
the hut, yet two soldiers, reeking with pombe and other 
smells, sleep beside me, and the other part of my guard 
not far short of twenty, laugh and drink and shout fat 



/Et. 38.] Resolves to Escape. 459 

into the night, and begin again before daylight in the 
morning, waking up from time to time to shout out to 
my sentries to know if all is well. I fear all this is tell- 
ing on my health tremendously. 

" Oct. 27th, Tuesday. — (Sixth day as prisoner.) All I 
can hear in the way of news is that the chief has sent 
men to fight those parts we passed through. I begin to 
doubt if he has sent to Mwanga at all, but thinks I am 
in league with the fighting party, and is keeping me 
hostage. I begin the day better in health, though I had 
a most disturbed night. I am very low in spirits ; it 
looks so dark, and having been told that the first mes- 
sengers would return at the latest to-day. Last night the 
chief's messenger said perhaps they might be here as 
soon as Thursday, but seemed to doubt it. I don't know 
what to think, and would say from the heart, ' Let the 
Lord do what seemeth to Him good.' If kept here an- 
other week I shall feel sure no messengers have been 
sent, and if possible shall endeavor to flee, in spite of all 
the property I must leave behind and the danger of the 
undertaking. 

" Only a few ladies came to see the wild beast to- 
day. I felt so low and wretched that I retired within 
my den, whither they, some of them, followed me ; but 
as it was too dark to see me, and I refused to speak, they 
soon left. 

" The only news of to-day is that two white men, one 
tall and the other short, have arrived in Akota, and the 
Sultan has detained them. It is only a report that has 
followed me. I am the tall man, and Pinto, my Goa 
cook, the short one ; he is almost always taken for a 
white man, and dresses as such. I fear, however, with 
these fearfully suspicious people, that it may affect me 
seriously. I am very low, and cry to God for release. 



460 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

" Oct. 2&t/i, Wednesday. — (Seventh day's prison.) A ter- 
rible night, first with noisy drunken guard, and secondly 
with vermin, which have found out my tent and swarm. 
I don't think I got one sound hour's sleep, and woke 
with fever fast developing. O Lord, do have mercy 
upon me and release me. I am quite broken down and 
brought low. Comforted by reading Psalm xxvii. 

" In an hour or two fever developed very rapidly. My 
tent was so stuffy that I was obliged to go inside the 
filthy hut, and soon was delirious. 

" Evening ; fever passed away. Word came that Mwan- 
ga had sent three soldiers, but what news they bring 
they will not yet let me know. 

" Much comforted by Psalm xxviii. 

" Oct 29///, Thursday. — (Eighth day's prison.) I can hear 
no news, but was held up by Psalm xxx., which came 
with great power. A hyena howled near me last night, 
smelling a sick man, but I hope it is not to have me yet." 

This is the last entry in the little pocket diary.* The 
few lines of almost microscopic writing do not occupy 
quite an eighth part of the page. It is quite clear, from 
the different color of the ink, that each day's entries were 
made, not at the close of the day, but at various times, 
as the writer found strength and opportunity. Thus, 
in the entry of Wednesday, the 28th, the eye can almost 
trace the phases of the sick man's suffering in his writ- 
ing. The ink is faint in which he wrote : " Fever fast 
developing. O Lord, do have mercy upon me." There 

* The book is one of Letts' monthly pocket diaries, very thin, 
and only \ l / 2 inches by 2^ ; with an entire page for each day. Into 
this small space the Bishop has managed to get as many as forty- 
six lines to a page, each line averaging twelve or thirteen words. 
The writing is very minute ; indeed, a lens was found almost neces- 
sary to decipher some parts of it. 



CI U*Aj hvwcvfe^ VVlc, 3VX4. <**4 <^"Cfcv<^* I^^SVu^U ^-Cvwia^ <^<*i. « WcA t" 

UcT kr-*tiujL^ 3(<mx3 c^AA. (Xc*/ii ^xvCt. ta»i( (**^- J ^ *« t«<* 
tT"fjc. va IWV^ ' *» ^t* *t<r £yi/U<A\vtc"v 4 » ? ^,^ »«J"D fc^a^ £, /5»vi TtZaf* 

V»«w *ivu/«a« g & Mma* C yto I" tvia^ »W*.'f- «kiUM t«y & TTfcU *<tU^ £ ^<tJ 

on« j«^|-. »Uo (<?S1 nj rtv^* ^«ti r«>-»v **«* d<st~*x a^a-CT^, 
trvut «>v, uu. c^uji^i j/i «a» «'«Afl (o«^v2v tvuL« \A/^luf u t*-iaXa/ vwj 

% ,<ki**cX*/w«.. Jl ifc rt Tt^-iiw^ UX^fea ^lj£t £Ta» .^ *1^» «cVa <ymcui4 
Uca.v* tcuc.fc*t><M fe7«Jovit> .'***f Wax vv f ,<^ttLUs' T t<<^t^6^t£t*»A) 

"tt* <A*s» (^c**UlZ otcxoU.^ (U«xXv^«^>^ "^^VM^^a^Vy. -Vs ^i*^V»«V--JW 

Uwj, tWj )<iA<^ tvs uvvn^ <j«D «.m»^ U^c » « J *u>ttjt' frt »t^ ^-f£; 



Facsimile of a Page of; the Bishop's Diarv. 



JEt. 38.] Scripture Comfort. 46 1 

be seems to have laid down the pen — in what bodily 
weakness who can ever know ? The following words — ■ 
"and release me ; I am quite broken down and brought 
low. Comforted by reading twenty-seventh Psalm " — 
were evidently added at night, after the delirium of the 
fever had passed away. The comparative briefness of 
the entry made on the 28th tells an eloquent tale of 
weakness and physical distress. For the first time since 
he left the coast, three months before, his old enemy, 
fever, had found him out, and threatened to overwhelm 
his faculties at the moment when he most desired to be 
in the full possession of them. It is just possible that 
a second attack of fever may have incapacitated him 
from writing more on the 29th. But as no hint is given 
of recurring symptoms it is most probable, indeed well- 
nigh certain, that the entry of that day was cut short by 
his death. The ink may still have been wet when his 
guards led him forth to die. 

It is needless to add anything to these words of his 
which have come to us from the antechamber of death. 
During that testing time the man reveals himself to us 
in all the grand simplicity of his sublime faith. Almost 
torn to pieces, deprived of every comfort and all the 
decencies of life, latterly racked by fever, and with the 
shadow of an unknown doom darkening his heart, he 
never seems for a single instant to have wavered in his 
confidence in his God. When " quite broken down " by 
bodily outrage and the sickness of hope deferred, when 
"brought very low" by superadded fever, he could be 
comforted by such Psalms as xxvii. — xxx., and apply to 
himself the words : " I had fainted, unless I had believed 
to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living 
Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. Wait, I say 
on the Lord." 



462 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885: 

It seems that until the very end Hannington had little 
or no suspicion that Mwanga was concerned in his ar- 
rest. He looked forward to the return of the messen- 
gers sent to U-Ganda as the signal for his immediate 
release. On Wednesday, the 28th, there had been much 
drumming and shouting among the natives. When the 
Bishop's men asked the meaning of the demonstration, 
they were told that the king had sent word that the 
Mzungu (European) should be allowed' to proceed to 
U-Ganda. They were much relieved, and hoped that 
their trouble was over. Probably the same story was 
told to the Bishop on the following day as an excuse 
for hurrying him out of his prison-hut to the place of 
execution. Until the last moment he would have had 
no idea that he was irrevocably doomed to death — that 
this Lubwa was but the poor cat's-paw by the employ- 
ment of whom Mwanga hoped to escape the responsi- 
bility of the actual massacre. When, therefore, he was 
allowed to leave his prison-hut, and was escorted to a 
place at a considerable distance from the village, where 
he was told that he would be rejoined by his men, we 
can well imagine that he concluded that the worst was 
now over, and even began to turn his thoughts toward 
the recovery of the valuable goods which he had brought 
so far for the use of the brethren in U-Ganda. 

He was not, however, long left in doubt as to the fate 
which was in store for him. His caravan-men stood 
there indeed, awaiting him, but they were all stripped 
naked and bound, huddled together like sheep in a pen. 
Some of them who bore upon their bodies traces of a 
hard struggle, were yoked with heavy wooden slave- 
collars, and their arms lashed behind tneir backs. All 
around stood soldiers. Evidently the end had come. 

To the Bishop the shock must have been a terrible 



&t. 38.] The Massacre. 463 

one. During the long walk of two hours through the 
forest he had been upheld by the hope of a happy meet- 
ing between himself and his faithful band. Now he saw 
clearly that both he and they had been led out to die. 
He was not even allowed an instant to rest himself upon 
the ground. With characteristic coolness he would have 
sat down beneath a tree to recover breath before making 
any further movement. But the soldiers told off to 
murder him closed round and commenced to strip from 
him his clothing. In that supreme moment we have the 
happiness of knowing that the Bishop faced his destiny 
like a Christian and a man. So circumstanced, and 
subjected to such indignity he made one last use of 
that commanding mien which never failed to secure for 
him the respect of the most savage. Drawing himself 
up he looked around, and, as they momentarily hesi- 
tated, he spoke a few words which graved themselves 
upon their memories, and which they afterwards repeated 
just as they were heard. He bade them tell the king 
that he was about to die for the Baganda, and that he 
had purchased the road to Buganda with his life. 

Then he submitted himself to them, and, kneeling 
down, committed his soul to God. A moment later a 
gun was discharged. It was the appointed signal. With 
a wild shout the warriors fell upon the trembling group 
of porters and their flashing spears soon covered the 
ground with the dead and dying. At the same moment 
the Bishop fell. The two soldiers who were stationed, 
one on each side of him, plunged their spears into his 
body. They could do no more. The great and noble 
spirit leapt forth from its broken house of clay, and en- 
tered with exceeding joy into the presence of the King.* 

* The above account, which differs in some few particulars from that given 
in the earlier editions of this book, may be relied upon as accurate. It is taken 



464 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 



Every morning during that hard-fought journey he 
had greeted the sunrise with his "travelling psalm," — U I 
will lift up mi?ie eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my 
help." NOW his feet were planted upon the battlements 
of the everlasting hills, and the weary traveller saw what 
it is not granted to eyes of flesh to see. 

How often had he encouraged his companions, in times 
of doubt or difficult}', with the words : " Never be dis- 
appointed, only Praise," Was he disappointed now, 
when, standing upon the very verge of the land he had 
come so far to see, he was yet forbidden to enter it; and 
when the prize of his endeavor was snatched from his 
grasp in the very moment of victory ? " The Lord shall 
preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth 
forevermore" That day was the day of his "coming 
in," not to the land which he had hoped to reach be- 
fore he died, but to a far better land. For henceforth 
" he shall dwell on high, his place of defence shall be 
the munitions of rocks : bread shall be given him : his 
waters shall be sure ; for his eyes do see the King in 

from the independent narratives of two of the Bishop's servants who escaped 
from the massacre. It now appears that, when the bloody work was almost 
concluded, a man came running from the Sultan Lubwa, commanding that the 
few remaining porters should be spared and brought back to the village. About 
ten were thus saved. Among these was a lad named Ikutu, the Bishop's chair- 
bearer, who, after some weeks' captivity, persuaded two others to join him in 
an attempt to escape. This, after many perils, they accomplished successfully, 
and, reaching the shore of the Lake, persuaded some canoe-men to take them 
and a comrade who had overtaken them to U-Sukuma, from whence they 
were able to enter into communication with Mr. Mackay, and finally to return 
with Mr. Taylor to Zanzibar. Some others have since made their escape. One 
of these, a young African Christian, named Christopher Boston, was speared 
before the order to desist arrived. He was left upon the ground for dead, but 
during the night revived, and crawled for many miles through the forest, with 
his bowels protruding through the rent made by the spear, till he too, at last- 
reached the Lake and was rescued by a native, a friend of Mr. Mackay. 

When asked why they had killed the Bishop with the spear and had not shot 
him, the natives replied : " Ah ! the gun is the weapon of the white men, they 
make it, and they know what charm to use, so that it will not kill them, but 
the spear is our weapon, and the European has no charm against it." The 
report which was at first received that the Bishop had been shot, arose, no 
doubt, from the fact that a signal gun was Cred close to him just as the mas- 
sacre commenced. 



Ml 3 Faithful Mr. J. 465 

His beauty ; and they behold the Land that is very far 

Out of the fii accompanied the "■only 

four were suffered to escape. These made their way 
back, as we have seen. :: Kwa Sundu, and carried the 

tidings of the massacre to Mr. Jones. The only reason 
which he had for not at once believing their tale was 
that they failed to give him a satisfactory account of the 
manner in which they had avoided the fate of their com- 
panions. This is partially explained by Mr. Mackay, 
who says that three or four men were spared in order 
that they might show their captors how to open the 
boxes which contained the Bishop's goods. It is easy to 
understand that they might have been ashamed tx. 
fess that they had purchased their lives upon such terms. 
Hence their equivocation upon this point c 1 

ies, faithful and devoted to his Bishop to the 

ted at Kwa Sundu for about a month ;::er he 
received the report of his death — hopii inst hope, 

and unwilling to leave while the most remote chance of 
his being alive should remain. It would have been ut- 
terly impossible for him to have penetrated into U-Soga. 
To have done so would have been to sacrifice his entire 
caravan, without even the prospect of achieving any- 

On the Sth of December, therefore, he sorrow- 
fully turned his face from the Lake, and began to re- 
: ng the backward route. 

On the 4th of February : 3 ; . 1 : sunrise, the Christians 
at Rabai were wending their way churchward to the 
early Service, when the}' were startled by the sound of 
guns ; and presently some messengers — weary men, and 



466 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

with the marks of long travel upon them — came in to say 
that the Bishop's caravan was at hand. The Bishop's 
caravan without the Bishop! While these were being 
eagerly cross-examined, other guns signalled from the 
valley, very distant, but volleying nearer and yet more 
near ; and the whole settlement ran down to meet their 
returning friends. Among them were sad-faced and dis- 
tracted women, who had gleaned from the first-comers 
that their husbands had perished in the great disaster. 
As the two Englishmen in charge of the Mission Station 
hastened forward, they met one bearing a blue pennon 
— the African symbol of mourning — whereon was sewn 
in white letters the word ICHABOD. Behind the sad 
standard-bearer, amid a crowd of weeping and dis- 
traught women and friends, limped a straggling line of 
sorry-looking men, staggering beneath their diminished 
loads ; — a feeble crew, lean and weary and travel-stained 
—most of them garmentless or clothed in hides. Behind 
them came a battered white helmet, and the Bishop's 
friend and sharer in his peril was grasping their hands, 
and taken into their arms. None of them were able to 
say much : all were thinking of him who had gone out 
so hopefully, and whose great heart was now stilled for- 
ever. 

When the news reached England, the report of the 
Bishop's death was at first received with general incre- 
dulity. The public did not believe that any African 
king would deliberately, and in cold blood, murder a 
European dignitary. Others had, indeed, lost their lives, 
but — as in the case of 'Shergold Smith and O'Neill — this 
was rather owing to their having become in some way, 
however unintentionally, implicated in tribal feuds, than 
to any desire on the part of the natives to injure them. 



JEt. 38.] His Death a Martyrdom. 467 

There was no quarrel between U-Ganda and England. 
Envoys had been sent from thence to our Queen, and 
had returned loaded with her favors. The British Con- 
sul was in communication with Mtesa, and his name was 
one to conjure with at his court. At the first blush the 
tidings seemed absurd. 

Nor did those who knew Hannington intimately be- 
lieve that he had been killed, until they were forced to 
do so by overwhelming evidence. We had great confi- 
dence in the man. That he should have suffered from 
his own hardiness and extreme contempt of danger did 
not seem improbable, but that he should have been put 
to death at the bidding of any native chief appeared 
very unlikely. His presence of mind and readiness of 
resource were, we thought, sufficient to extricate him 
from most perils of this sort. We were then as ignorant 
as he was when he planned his last journey, that the 
young king of U-Ganda and his chiefs had assumed such 
an attitude toward Europeans that it would be almost 
certain death for any stranger to approach their domin- 
ions from the forbidden East. 

When, at last, our countrymen were compelled to ac- 
cept the fact, it was received with quite universal sorrow. 
The young Bishop had not lived long enough to be 
known much beyond the circle of his own personal 
friends, but all were aware that a man of no ordinary 
parts, brave and self-devoted beyond most others, had 
been suddenly cut down in the actual consummation of 
a great achievement. 

His death seemed to be a martyrdom. And indeed it 
was. As an ambassador of Christ he started, and as an 
ambassador of Christ, the recognized chief of that grow- 
ing party in U-Ganda who served "another King, 
Jesus," and who were ready to confess His name in the 



468 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

fire, he was met and murdered. His dying testimony 
will not be forgotten on the shores of the great Lake. 
His words are passed from mouth to mouth : " I am 
about to die for the Ba-ganda, and have purchased the 
road to them with my life."* 

So his death was lifted out of the list of ordinary 
deaths which happen to men in the course of their duty; 
it was understood that he had devoted himself in no 
ordinary manner, and his name at once found a place, 
with that of Gordon, Patteson, Gardiner, and other 
Christian heroes of this generation, among the ranks 
di the noble army of martyrs. 

By and by, from all sides, poured in the testimony of 
his friends. It was noticed that those who had been 
brought into closest contact with him were most im- 
pressed by his single-minded self-devotion and unselfish- 
ness ; and many who knew him only by name began to 
feel that they had lost in him a friend and a brother. 
Among many such testimonies we may quote that of 
Mr. Wray, who, it will be remembered, accompanied his 
Bishop to Chagga. He says : " The more I knew him, 
the more I loved him. Oh, that loving, tender-hearted, 
winning soul ! I cannot forget those feet which trod 
over a hundred miles of desert that I might be -carried 
in his own hammock. He saved my life ! " 

* Mr. Ashe writes from Natete, Buganda : " We were fortunate 
in obtaining our dear Bishop's Bible. One of our Christians bought 
it of a man who had taken it from the Bishop. An incident con- 
nected with it is worth mentioning. One or two of those who were 
present when I was giving the cowrie shells for the book expressed 
a desire to share in the cost of redeeming it. They said it was our 
brother's,, and they would like to do this. I mentioned before that 
one of the members of our native Church Council wrote to me a 
letter, saying he quite understood that the Bishop had lost his life 
in endeavoring to benefit thetn," 



JE.%. 38.] Testimony of his Friends. 469 

There were some who thought that he had rashly 
thrown his life away ; that he had incurred an unwar- 
rantable amount of danger for no corresponding ad- 
vantage. We are all prone to be wise after the event. 
We can all see now that he placed his head within the 
very jaws of the lion. We can all give a score of ex- 
cellent reasons why his journey should never have been 
attempted at all. But then we are in possession of in- 
formation which was not in the hands of either Bishop 
Hannington or his advisers. Sir John Kirk, than whom 
no living man has had a larger experience of Africans, 
and missionaries who had spent many years in dealing 
with the natives, concurred with the Bishop in his opin- 
ion that the only danger to be apprehended was from 
the wild and turbulent Masai tribes. These once passed, 
the success of the journey would be, they thought, as- 
sured. Against this danger the Bishop made prepa- 
ration by thoroughly studying the manners and customs 
of these people ; he arrived at the conclusion that they 
would prove troublesome rather than dangerous, if met 
in a friendly spirit ; and that he was not wrong in this 
estimate of the perils of the way has been abundantly 
shown, both by his own quick upward progress, and by 
Mr. Jones' safe return with the shattered remnants of 
the originally small caravan. 

And even had the peril been greater than the Bishop 
and his advisers thought it to be, he would not have 
hesitated to incur it, if he might thereby have conferred 
a great and lasting benefit upon the Church of Central 
Africa. The lower road to the Lake is not only circuit- 
ous and difficult, but has dangers of its own which are 
more to be feared than the spear of the Masai. Bishop 
Hannington could not contemplate with equanimity the 
inevitable sufferings and probable death of those who 



470 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

like himself two years before, were bound to fight the 
spectral army of disease which barred the way into the 
far interior. He thought it worth while to incur some 
risk in order that he might in his own person prove or 
disprove the practicability of the short and healthy road 
to U-Ganda. But for the stupid ignorance and short- 
sighted greed of the bo}~-successor of the great Mtesa, 
he would in all human probability be now hailed as the 
successful explorer who by one bold stroke had saved 
to the pioneers of Christian Civilization many thousands 
of money and many invaluable lives. 

In these days of advanced civilization, when so much 
painful forethought is expended upon the upbringing of 
a single man, it is not unnatural that we should have 
formed a high opinion of the value of life. It seems to 
us a pitiful thing that the masterpiece which has been 
turned out as the result of long years of patient and 
costly toil should be shattered — dashed into fragments 
in a moment. We are inclined to be impatient with the 
man who unduly exposes himself to danger; and the 
word " rash " carries with it a sense of opprobrium un« 
known to our courage-loving ancestors. 

It is of course impossible that we should value life 
too highly ; but is there no danger lest we should value 
life too much ? — too much as mere living ? A life is not 
always " thrown away " when it is poured out — poured 
out as was the water of the well of Bethlehem at the 
feet of the great king ; otherwise the costly missile from 
the great piece of ordnance would be " thrown away " 
when, in breaking down the wall of the enemies' fortress, 
it is broken itself. 

And what did he achieve, this martyr-bishop of the 
modern Church ? He died at the early age of thirty- 
eight. He had not time to do many things, and yet we 



ALt. 38.] A Priceless Legacy. 47 1 

may truly say that he did much. Not to mention the 
deep impress of his own personality which he has left 
upon those who were brought into close contact with 
him, he has given to the Mission in East Africa an im- 
pulse of which we may confidently expect that it will 
not lose the momentum. He has completed the circle 
of that great ring of Christian stations of which the 
signet stone is the Victoria Nyanza, and, in joining the 
two ends, has welded them together with his death. 

When the present panic has subsided, and the chiefs 
of the Nyanza States have learned to regard their white 
teachers as their truest friends — and it is a safe prophecy 
to predict that this will be the case before many years 
have passed — then the messengers of the Church wilt 
make their way to the furthest outpost of her dominions 
along the healthy upland stretches of that Northern 
route. They will then remember whose feet first trod 
that path for Christ. It may be that the time is not far 
distant when a memorial cross will mark the spot where 
the brave Bishop fell, and that native Christians from 
U-Ganda will take their children there to point out to 
them the hallowed ground on which a martyr died. 

To us he has bequeathed the priceless legacy of a de- 
voted life. His splendid example will not have been set 
before this generation in vain. As he himself was stirred 
by the early and violent death which closed the faithful 
labors of Shergold Smith and O'Neill, so we are per- 
suaded that others will be stirred by the recital of his 
gallant attempt, and his fall on the very ramparts of the 
fortress, to step forward and uplift the banner that has 
dropped from his dying hands. 

As for him, we commit him to the Lord, in whom he 
trusted. He shall not be confounded. What if his busy 
hands and feet, torn from his body, now rattle in the 



47 2 James Hannington. [A.D. 1885. 

wind above the gateway of some savage town ! What 
if the bleaching skull, wherein once his active brain 
wrought for the good of all, now hangs like a beacon 
from the leafless arm of some withered tree ! He would 
have been the first to tell us that no such things could 
affect his life. For that was hid with Christ in God 
The world is his tomb. Somewhere upon its circum- 
ference lie his mortal parts. Wherever that may be we 
know that his sleep is sweet. Obdormivit in Christo. 

His last words to his friends in England — words scrib- 
bled by the light of some camp-fire — were : 

" If this is the last chapter of my earthly history, then 
the next will be the first page of the heavenly — no blots 
and smudges, no incoherence, but sweet converse in the 
presence of the Lamb ! " 

There, then, in that blessed Presence, we may leave 
him, only asking for ourselves that which it was granted 
to him so abundantly to enjoy — 

" That blessed mood 
In which the burden of the mystery, 
In which the heavy and the weary weight 
Of all this unintelligible world, 
Is lightened." 



THE END. 



EASTERN CENTRAL AFRICA 




f^^^^ s ^4^|. 



mgga 





Hi 






■Hfiai 



IMPifll 

MkKHm 



S SSrKxN 









